I Always Get What I Want
by shaunazoe
Summary: AU: Quinn wants Rachel and decides she has to have her. When things get off to a bumpy start can Quinn right her wrong and win over Rachel in the process?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey I'm back with this story. The first time I deleted it was because it was getting too out of hand. I really liked some things and hated others so I started fresh and planned out the story line. Brittany and Rachel will still be very different than their Glee characters but everyone else will be closer to their personalities and the story line will be a lot slower. Thank you!

Rachel Berry walked down the halls of McKinley Hall with her usual confident stride thinking about how well her relationship with Finn Hudson was going. Strutting down the halls in her new wardrobe of a black leather jacket over a white cami tucked into dark blue skinny jeans ending in black combat boots, Rachel was contemplating on where to go for their six month anniversary. She was debating the pros and cons of Breadsticks when she was grabbed from behind, one hand around her waist and the other firmly placed over her mouth, and dragged into a secluded classroom. The hand on her mouth muffled the shriek that was emitted at the time of the grab as Rachel's heart race skyrocketed. Is this some jocks or Cheerios getting ready to pull a prank? Those had been substantially reduced ever since Rachel had ditched the argyle and started dating Finn, maybe her luck had run out.

Upon being spun around by her captor Rachel Berry came face to face with HBIC/Head Cheerio, Quinn Fabray. Adorned in the power suit of McKinley, a red, black, and white Cheerios outfit, Quinn pinned Rachel against the classroom door keeping her hand over the diva's mouth. "Rachel I will remove my hand if you promise not to scream and listen to everything I have to say, without interrupting. That means no long winded speech about the rudeness of dragging a classmate into a classroom without their expressed permission, is that understood?"

Still panicked and thoroughly confused at the use of her name, Rachel begins to shyly nod her head yes. Upon doing so Quinn kept to her word and removed the hand that was covering Rachel's mouth.

Waiting a few moments before continuing on to make sure Rachel was listening Quinn began. "So there are a couple of things we need to discuss Rachel. First things first you are to break up with Finn by the end of Glee today."

"WHAAA" Rachel is cut off by the HBIC once again covering her mouth with her hand.

"Ah, ah, ah, I told you Rachel, no interrupting. As I was saying you have until the end of Glee tonight to break up with Finn. This is nonnegotiable as you are breaking up with him to start dating me."

Quinn gives Rachel a few moments to digest what she has just said. Anger, disbelief, and confusion swirl into an emotional storm playing out in Rachel's chocolate brown eyes. Eyes brow together and the diva retreats into her mind replaying the words over and over again trying to figure out if this was a prank or reality. After several minutes Quinn finally speaks again.

"You see Rachel this summer I did some soul searching and I came to a realization, I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you since I saw you singing when we were six years old. I know last school year I made your life a living hell, but hey I needed a target, as I was the first freshmen to ever be named Head Cheerio, and the older girls caught me starring at you. Quickly thinking on my feet, I said it was because I was coming up with jokes in my head about your clothing and from there it took off. I couldn't help it, I needed contact with you one way or another and if teasing was the source of our daily interactions then I would take it. I also had my "good Christian" parents constantly berating your family for having two fathers. Little do they know their precious daughter doesn't like boys, and before this summer I would have done anything to keep that a secret from them, from myself. But that was then and this is now. I want you Rachel, and I always get what I want."

Quinn slowly removes her hand from the diva allowing her to talk for the first time since she began. "Quinn, I will not break up with Finn! I am in love with him and he is in love with me! And honestly, while I may forgive you over time for the insults, slushies, online harassment, and pornographic pictures, that suddenly make a lot more sense, I could never fall in love with my tormentor. I am sorry I just can't. We can be friends though."

"If Finn is so in love with you Rachel then why has he had sex with four Cheerios since you've become official? Why is he getting head right this minute from some baby Cheerio in the locker room?"

"You're lying! Finn would never do that, he loves me!"

Instead of immediately responding Quinn pulled her phone out, and FaceTimed Santana. When Santana answered her call instead of Rachel seeing Santana she was greeted by the sight of her boyfriend making out with a topless baby Cheerio. She had the horrific experience of watching the girl sink to her knees before she finally whispered for Quinn to end the call and that she had seen enough.

"Well now that you're going to dump Finnocence we can go to your house after school and I'll erase him from your mind. It's all rather simple, if you let it be Rachel."

"Quinn just because you exposed my lying, cheating, scum of a boyfriend does not mean that I will simply date you. You made my life hell, I have no romantic inclinations towards you whatsoever. Please let me leave."

"I had really hoped it would not come to this Rachel, but you've given me no choice. I know about your dads. Part of being in love with you, and maybe indulging in some stalker like behavior, has shown me that they haven't been home, in ohhh, let's say about six months. I also know they're not coming back Rach. So unless you want CPS to be at school in the next hour you'll listen to me."

Finally realizing the meaning behind Quinn's words Rachel slides down the classroom door and begins sobbing. Soon a pair of arms wrap themselves around the hysterical girl and began cooing sweet nothings into her ear. Part of Rachel was extremely pissed off, being blackmailed into dating someone, let alone the person who made it their life mission to make yours hell is not something she needed to be dealing with. Combining that with the fact that Finn had been cheating on her only added fuel to the fire. Another part of Rachel was sad, she knew Quinn was right and that she would go into the system, so she needed to not only break up with Finn but date her as well. But the last part of her, and the smallest part, was a little bit relieved. Relieved that finally someone knew her secret and that she didn't need to put on an act all the time now.

Rachel's dads had left six months prior for a second honeymoon. While on that honeymoon Hiram got a job offer in San Francisco, California to be the Chief of Surgery and he took the job on the spot. They gave Rachel the option of staying or leaving and Rachel wanted to stay for Noah, Finn, and Tina. Finn and she had just begun their relationship, and Rachel had thought it was going to be perfect. Looking back she hates how foolish and naïve she had been. Even still her friendships with Noah and Tina would have kept her in Lima anyways. Noah and she had been best friends since they could remember. Going to the same temple in a predominately Christian town strengthens a bond rather quickly. Anyone paying attention in McKinley would also realize that not once had Noah picked on Rachel or slushied her. In fact, the day he got into a fight with Karofsky it was because he had slushied her. Rachel didn't allow him to do much though because she didn't want him to suffer just because she wasn't 'popular.'

Tina and she had been best friends since the second grade when Rachel pushed Jimmy Greco down on the playground for pulling on one of Tina's pigtails. The two were almost inseparable with their weekly sleepovers and nightly homework sessions. Tina held Rachel every time she cried after one of Quinn and her cheerleader cronies' pranks. She had been in the bathroom helping every time Rachel was slushied and she spent every minute she could to keep Rachel from being too lonely in the house she now had to herself.

Every month Rachel's fathers put an exurbanite amount of money in her account and pay the bills as they come. The money was usually double of what she actually needed, and was most likely the result of guilt on their part. This is why Rachel's wardrobe had been significantly improving over the summer. She had originally assumed that her new status as Finn's girlfriend, coupled with her new clothing, was why she had not been slushied.

After several minutes Rachel was able to calm down enough to the point that she could speak. "Fine, you win Quinn, I'll break up with Finn and date you. But please don't force me to do anything more." Rachel was terrified that Quinn was going to want to simply take her virginity. She had the powerful blackmail but there was no way Rachel would give in. She would rather go into the system then let Quinn touch her like that.

"We can take the physical stuff slow Rae, I promise. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but, I do expect some handholding and cuddles okay? Maybe the occasional chaste kiss for now? Do you think you can handle that?"

Rachel desperately wanted to say no. She wanted to say that Quinn was making her life spiral out in front of her. She felt shipwrecked without a life vest, but instead a barely there 'yes' spilled out from Rachel's mouth.

Quinn leaned forward and laid, what was supposed to be comforting, gentle kiss on Rachel's forehead. "Great! I promise you'll grow to love me Rach. I'm sorry I went about things this way, but, I couldn't watch Finn cheat on you anymore. I also wouldn't be able to handle it if you forgave him for cheating. This was the only way I could think of to prevent both from happening, and of course my own desire played a role as well. This will be a good thing Rae, I swear. But for now I need you to do me a favor and wear my letterman jacket. Before you protest it'll keep the slushies away while I enforce the band, and it'll keep my jealousies down to a minimum, saving Finn from a beating okay?"

Mulling over her options in her mind Rachel realized she did not have a lot of fight left in this moment and decided to give into what was sure to be one of the simpler requests. "Alright, I'll wear the stupid jacket, can we leave now?"

"Yes, but you will sit next to me in all of the classes we have together, and tonight I'll drive you home and we'll discuss our relationship further."

Quinn, helping Rachel up, and wrapping her in her letterman, walked her out of the classroom and into the deserted hallway. Their talk had taken them most of first period and as such no one was around. Upon walking out the new couple of McKinley ran right into Quinn's second in command. Santana was standing in the hallway with a smirk on her lips and her hands on her hips. "Everything go according to plan Cap?"

"Yes Santana, thanks for all of your help, I couldn't have done it without you." This comment brought Rachel to the realization that Santana must know everything as well. She must have even helped Quinn plan this all out, since she was waiting in the locker room for Quinn's call. The realization that Santana must know everything, including the bit about her dads caused Rachel's eyes to go wide with fear and panic.

"No worries Tiny, I know about your dads and I promise not to say anything." The use of an actual endearing nickname and calm tone of voice only proceeded to freak out Rachel further prompting Santana to say "Listen, Tiny, I'm sorry about everything I helped do to you before. I never wanted to do all of that crap to you but Quinn was having a hard time dealing with her emotions and I didn't know how to help other than help her bully you. So, again, I'm sorry."

Too stunned to speak Rachel merely nodded her head in acknowledgement and allowed Quinn to grab a hold of her hand and drag her to their second period class, Santana walking on her other side the whole way.

Before Rachel knew it lunch had rolled around and it was time to break up with Finn. Quinn had insisted on being by her side for this as the young boy acted five in age but had the size and strength to throw Rachel around like a rag doll. Before going into the cafeteria Rachel had sent Finn a text stating that she needed him to meet her in the choir room for lunch instead. At the time the message was sent Finn thought his day couldn't get any better. He had gotten taken care of this morning by a baby Cheerio and now his girlfriend who would get him out of this town wanted to spend her lunch making out with him. So imagine Finn's surprise when he walks into the choir room and Quinn Fabray, HBIC, was in the choir room with his girlfriend. Not only that but she had a possessive hand laid on Rachel's thigh, too high to be merely platonic, and Rachel was wearing Quinn's letterman jacket. Finn had tried numerous times to get Rachel to wear his but she thought the idea of claiming someone like that was barbaric and sexist. Confusion takes over and is put on full display through his body language leading to a chuckling Quinn and a somber Rachel.

"Finn, I know you have been cheating on me with baby Cheerios. As such I believe that I will have to terminate our courtship. Please leave me alone from here on out."

"What Rachel? No, no I will not terminate our courtship or whatever you just said. You're my girlfriend, you mean more to me than all of those girls I hooked up with combined. I merely slept with them so I could satisfy my needs without pushing you for more. I'm sorry babe please forgive me." Finn had been so focused on Rachel that he missed the way Quinn subtly move even closer to Rachel and her hand began squeezing Rachel's thigh. Another thing he missed was the Latina cheerleader waiting in the shadows before she needed to make her entrance.

"Listen here Finncompetent, Rachel doesn't want you or have you seriously not put it together yet? She is in here breaking up with you while wearing Quinn's letterman jacket. She is breaking up with you while Quinn's hand is probably further up on her than you have ever managed to get. And last but not least, she just dumped your ass for cheating on here. Go get a baby Cheerio to suck your dick and leave my girls alone."

Suddenly Finn's world felt like it was spinning. Rachel and Quinn, Quinn and Rachel. His two, well at least now, ex-girlfriends were dating one another. No, this can't be right, Rachel loves him, and Rachel is his ticket out of Lima. "No, Rachel this has to be some sort of sick prank. You can't break up with me! I made you! Without me you'll be slushied and harassed again. Is that what you want? Come on Rach just tell me this was a joke and I will take you to that new vegan place for our anniversary tonight and we can pretend as though this never happened."

At this point Quinn was murderous. How dare Finn try and act as though Rachel was beneath him? How dare he act as if this was some sort of joke? "No Finn, this is not a joke. As of this morning Rachel is MY girlfriend. That is MY letterman she is wearing and you need to leave. Now."

Realizing a losing battle when he sees one Finn gave one last comment. "This isn't over Quinn, I will win you back Rachel. We will be happy again, you'll see." After that Finn gave a storm out that would rival one of Rachel's best. The door slams shut leaving the remaining three occupants to process what just happened.

Always one to make a smart ass comment Santana breaks the silence with "Seriously, how did either of you manage to put up with that oversized toddler for more than five minutes? Well now that, that's handled cap, tiny I will see you both after school." The second in command giggled to herself as she left to find her own girlfriend and get her mack on until the end of lunch.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day went on as smoothly as could be expected, given the circumstances. Quinn was actually quite the attentive girlfriend. She held Rachel's books on the way to class, pulled out her chair in the lunchroom, and didn't immediately push for any physical intimacy, other than holding hands in between classes. Instead of the stares and whispers Rachel expected to follow her throughout the day, it seemed as though the masses of McKinley knew this was going to happen before she did. Apparently, it was a well-known fact that the HBIC, Quinn Fabray, has had a thing for the resident Gleek for quite some time. That message was sent loud and clear when Azimio Adams had tried to slushy Rachel after fifth period, and instead ended up with the slushy all over him, and two black eyes. One courtesy of Quinn, and the other thanks to Santana.

Walking into Glee, Rachel and Quinn immediately took note of the uncomfortable stares on them couple with the complete silence in the room. Deciding to nip it in the bud Quinn addressed the room. "Yes, Rachel and I are dating. Yes, Rachel broke up with Finn for cheating on her. No, Rachel did not cheat on Finn with me. No, I will not tell you anything more than that and neither will Rachel, Santana, or Brittany; so find something else to stare at."

With that done everyone, sans Puck and Tina, surprisingly went back to their conversations, satisfied in simply knowing the basics. Puck and Tina, on the other hand, gave Rachel incredulous looks, and she knew she was going to have to explain to them later the situation she currently found herself in. Glee went by pretty smoothly and ended on time, even with Mr. Schue showing up fifteen minutes late. The only hiccup lied in Finn sitting in the corner by himself sending Rachel kicked puppy expressions, and Quinn glares that if they could kill, she'd be six feet under. Finn's glares did nothing to Quinn though. Throughout the meeting Quinn maintained an air of nonchalance. The only indicator that she knew when Fin was glaring at her was when the arm draped possessively on the back of Rachel's chair would tighten, and the hand resting on her thigh would draw random patterns on her skin.

After Glee got out Quinn simply held out her hand and looked expectantly at Rachel, who in return, reluctantly took the proffered hand. Going through the deserted hallways each girl grabs their respective belongings. After stopping at Rachel's locker Quinn took her backpack, not allowing Rachel to carry it. The gesture was supposed to be kind, but had the effect of annoying Rachel even more. If it had been Finn two weeks ago, she would have basked in the type of attention Quinn was freely giving, but it wasn't Finn and this isn't two weeks ago. With these melancholy thoughts Rachel was lead out to the parking lot, still holding hands with Quinn. Neither girl talks on the walk to the parking lot until they get close enough to realize their two cars are the only ones left. Quinn initiates the conversation "Don't worry about your car Rachel, just leave it here and I'll bring you home and then pick you up for school in the morning. We need to discuss our relationship anyways."

"No."

"No? What do you mean no?"

"I mean no. Quinn I am not leaving my car here and I am not getting in your car. I am not sure which part is confusing for you."

"Rachel, get into my car. You are my girlfriend and this is what girlfriends do, they drive each other to school and spend time together. So get into the car."

"No Quinn, I know you call this a relationship but have you forgotten the information you used to blackmail me into that this morning? I have no one else at home with me Quinn. What if I need to run to the store or go see my friends? It would be idiotic, and irresponsible for me not to have a car at my house. If you want to talk to me get in your car and follow me home, _separately_." With that Rachel marched off to her car leaving a slightly stunned Quinn in her wake. Once Quinn gathered her bearings she berated herself for thinking so selfishly as she walked to her car. She needed to think of things more thoroughly before doing them around Rachel if she was going to turn blackmail girlfriend into a willing participant in this relationship. Once parked at her own home with her former-torturer-turned-girlfriend parked behind her Rachel seriously contemplated backing out of her driveway and driving until she thought Quinn would leave. Problem is, she is pretty sure Quinn would merely wait at her house until she did return, or worse come looking for her. Weighing the pros and cons of just sleeping at either Puck or Tina, she found that she didn't want to drag her friends into her mess. She also didn't want to test Quinn on how serious her threat to call Child Protective Services was. So instead of prolonging the inevitable Rachel got out of her car and went into her house, without so much as a glance backwards.

In the other parked car, Quinn was seriously contemplating how to handle this next conversation. She needed Rachel; that much she knew. She felt as though she needed Rachel like she needed to breathe. It was now a matter of how to get Rachel to feel the same way. There was no way she could simply demand the girl to feel the same, she was not that deluded, and she honestly did not want to resort to blackmailing Rachel, it's just she was so angry when Rachel keep announcing her love for Finn. She could picture the girl forgiving him for cheating and taking him back without a second thought. Rachel deserved much better than Finn Hudson and Quinn planned on being that. She just needed an idea.

And then it hit her. The reason Rachel was the angriest was she felt as though she had no choice in this relationship. That was extremely stupid on Quinn's part, she had to admit to herself. But she could remedy this. She could present a challenge to Rachel, she knew of the girl's competitive streak and decided to use it to her advantage. With new hope filling Quinn, she happily walked into Rachel's house in search of her diva.

Closing the door gently behind her, Quinn found Rachel in what she assumed was the living room. The room itself was gorgeous, the walls were painted a warm blue with a tan carpet and matching couches that looked comfortable enough to sleep on. The walls were decorated in an assortment of family pictures that ranged from staged to candid, as well as some works of art. Taking a cue from Rachel, Quinn decided to sit on a couch, but instead of next to Rachel took the one opposite from her as she wanted easy eye contact for this conversation.

"Rachel, I feel as though I need to explain myself a hell of a lot better than I did this morning." After receiving a nod from Rachel Quinn continued on. "I found out Finn was cheating on you during the summer. Coach Sylvester holds mandatory practices starting the second week of July. One morning I came into the locker room to hear one of the baby Cheerios talking about how they went down on Finn." Seeing the flinch Rachel gave, Quinn paused for a moment, apologized before starting again. "I didn't think much of it until I realized he was dating you at the same time. It tore me apart to know the girl that I have had a crush on since I was six years old, who I had tortured out of fear of family and God, was dating someone so undeserving of her. So I put together a plan, and granted it is a pretty bad plan, but it prevents you from running back to Finn. You are one of the most forgiving people on this planet Rachel, and with how convinced you seem to be that you love Finn, can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't have gone back?"

"No, Quinn I cannot say one way or another if I would have forgiven Finn and gone back to him. But, this," Rachel uses her hands to gesture between herself and Quinn "is not going to work Quinn. You cannot go from being a person's biggest bully, making them come home crying a total of 52 out of the 180 school days there are, and expect them to want you in any way. Platonic or otherwise. "

"I know I was a monster to you last year Rachel, and I have no excuses. I was a coward who believed the ramblings of a drunken father, telling me homosexuals go to hell. Instead of trying to fight those teachings I gave in. As you were the source of my 'ungodly feelings' I took out all of that fear on you, and in the worst way possible. I cannot tell you enough how sorry I am Rachel. To begin to make it up to you I have a proposition."

Rachel knew this was a trap, she knew better than to listen to this proposition, as she had a feeling this was Quinn's way of sucking her in. Looking back later in life she would have no idea just how right she was in that moment. Instead of listening to her gut, Rachel nodded her head, but cut her off before she could get there.

"Wait, I can understand that you grew up in a household with small minded people, and that you believed those teachings at one time, but how did you break out of that cycle?"

"Santana. She has been my best friend since we were seven years old, and apparently has always known of my feelings for you. One day, in the last month of school last year, there was a particularly harsh, double slushy attack on you. You were wearing a shorter skirt than usual, and a basically see through white blouse. I hated that all I could think about for the first two periods of the day was how I wanted to drag you into the nearest corner, and kiss you senseless. I ordered the attack knowing your change of clothes would be more conservative, and I ordered two to make sure the job got done. Santana saw a tear slip before you went to change and had enough. She never saw you break before, no one had, so that hit her hard which made her hit me hard. Figuratively and literally, Coach Sylvester had to pay for new lockers because our fight dented over half of them. From there she helped me come to terms with my feelings for you, and plan on how to woo you. I really never intended for our relationship to start this way Rae."

"You're not making any sense Quinn. Why would Santana have a soft spot for me? And if you planned out a different method then why blackmail me? Why not try that method first?"

"Well the answer to your first question is that Santana has always had a soft spot for you, Brittany too. She developed it when you stood up for Brittany the day she was at the doctors. Some jocks were harassing Brittany and you screamed at them, and chased them off. After that she took notice of how you acted. She noticed the diva thing, and she was guessing the clothes, were just a front. Her and Britt tried to get me to lay off but I wouldn't listen."

"Okay, that helps to explain that a bit. I'm going to need to talk to Santana and Brittany more but what about my other questions."

"I already explained that to you, it's because of your relationship with Finn. I heard rumors at the end of the year, last school year, that you two were together. But you know how high school gossip goes, even if they were true the odds of you two being together at the beginning of this year was slim. After hearing all summer of Finn's exploits and it wasn't until mid-August that I realized the rumors were true, and you and Finn were dating. I saw you two kissing outside of the Lima Bean, and I put it together that Finn had been cheating on you. I knew, given our past, which is completely my fault, that you would never believe me even if I told you the truth. So I tried the first way, I tried to talk to you, to start a friendship with you. I wanted to become a close friend and then tell you about Finn but I couldn't get more than a moment alone with you. Finn was everywhere, it was almost like he knew what I was up to, and wouldn't leave me alone with you. Once I found out about your dads I saw a short cut and I took it."

"So all of this because you cannot control your jealousies and possessive behavior? Seriously Quinn?!"

"All of this because you deserve the world and I can give that to you."

"How do you know about my dads?"

"Google. You Google their names and they pop up with the nice fact that they both currently work in San Francisco. There are links to both of their workplaces right underneath each other. It's honestly a miracle no one else has figured it out to be frank with you, Rachel. Any other questions or can I give you my proposal?"

"What is your proposal Quinn?"

"I don't want you to feel as though you're trapped with no way out so I am going to offer you one. Give me thirty days. Just thirty days to prove to you that this can work, that we can be happy together as a couple, and if it doesn't work, I'll let you go."

"What's the catch?" This sounded too good to be true to Rachel. Thirty days and she would be rid of the nuisance that is Quinn Fabray? Without having to worry about CPS? Sign her up.

"There will be conditions, but essentially, the deal is if you give me a fair chance at wooing you and I do not succeed then I leave you alone, and it stays our secret about your dads. You have my word."

"What kind of conditions?"

"Ones that make sure you give me a real, honest, chance. Nothing physical, besides the already agreed upon ones I assure you." Quinn watched as Rachel soaked in her offer. She wanted her to take it so bad, it was the closest to a redo button as she was going to get, and Quinn knew it. Even though this was already pretty manipulative, Quinn would rather not have to use her other underhanded plans to win over Rachel. At least this way they both knew the stakes, and Rachel could never claim she was tricked into this relationship.

Rachel thought the deal sounded fair, but before she committed she needed proof that this still wasn't some elaborate scam. "I will agree to discussing terms but I want something first from you."

"Name it."

"I want to talk to Santana."

"Can I know why?"

"Nope, I just want to talk to her in person, before I agree to anything."

"That's fine, I'll call her now, hold on."

Quinn walked out of the room and came back three minutes later with the announcement that Santana would be at Rachel's in about ten minutes. With that Rachel told Quinn to send Santana up when she got there and she was going to spend some time alone to think. Honestly, Quinn was thankful for the opportunity to think herself. Reflecting on their conversation things certainly could have gone worse. Making the decision to try and start proving herself now Quinn went to the kitchen in search of ingredients to make dinner. Imagine her surprise when she finds an overwhelming amount of meat in the refrigerator and freezer. Deciding to play it safe, and ask Rachel about it later, Quinn set about making a Caesar salad and spaghetti with marinara sauce. She was just heating up the water when Santana knocked on the door. After telling Santana where Rachel was she continued on cooking while her best friend was, hopefully, helping her out with the girl she loved.

Tentatively knocking on Rachel's door, Santana had to restrain herself from wringing her hands, a nervous habit that had carried over from her childhood. After hearing the young diva on the other door tell her to come in, Santana took in the smaller girl's room with awe. Rachel's room is not at all what Santana was expecting. The walls are a pale, refreshing blue, partially covered in signed playbills, but also band and movie posters. Apparently, Rachel was a huge scary movie fan, something her and Quinn also loved. Rachel's queen size bed is adorned with a blue, green, brown, and white circular patterned comforter adding to the warmth of the room. There is also a huge stereo system in the far corner of the room, next to a giant bay window that has a turquoise cushion aligning it. Chestnut brown is the theme of all of the dresser and bedside tables, one of which is holding an iDock, and the matching chestnut brown desk has a Mac laptop that the brunette is currently on. Before Santana can really get too deep into thought Rachel interrupts her process.

"Not what you were expecting?"

"Not exactly, but then again I knew that persona at school was just that, a persona. Watching you closely enough told me that much. I really like the color on the walls, it's peaceful."

"And how did you manage to come to that conclusion?"

"You drop it around Brittany a lot of the time. It is almost like watching a switch flip for Quinn and me. You always help her with her math homework, no matter how long it takes, if anyone calls her stupid you give me a run for my money in how scary I can be. Mostly though, because Brittany told me about your secret friendship." At the betrayed and worried look on Rachel's face Santana went to immediately rectify the situation.

"She didn't mean to Tiny, it slipped out one day when I was mean to you. Britt got really mad at me for calling you Treasure Trail, and let me have it. It was shocking to find out that you two have been best friends for five years, and she still hasn't told me everything. I know the basics, that you two have been best friends ever since being placed in accelerated ballet, hip hop, and jazz dance classes. You also take self-defense classes together. Essentially, every minute my girlfriend is not with me, she is with you. After that revelation came through I paid closer attention, and saw the real you."

"So you really do pay that close of attention to me? I don't know if I should be flattered or extremely creeped out."

"Neither. Once people actually try to see you Rachel, not School Rachel or Glee Rachel, it's really not that hard to see the real you. They just don't have Britt to give them a good kick in the ass to do so. I will also tell you that Quinn has no idea, it wasn't mine or Britt's place to tell, so we haven't. That's not to say Quinn didn't put it together on her own though."

"Well, then, now that you explained how you know so much, answer me this. Is Quinn really in love with me?"

"Come on Tiny, Quinn has been in love with you for forever. Ever since I've known her in fact. There is no way there isn't some small part of you that can say her feelings for you are a complete shock. You have to understand Rae that she is not kidding when she says her home life is complete shit. Her parents make 17th century Protestant parents look positively charming. Listen, I'm not saying what she did is right, because Lord knows I tried talking her out of that ridiculous part of the plan, I warned her it would set you two back eight million steps. She just didn't listen. She got desperate Rach, you don't understand how torn up she was watching you and Finn, knowing he was cheating on you basically every day. Maybe if he had been a good boyfriend she would have left you alone, or tried to be just friends, but knowing how he was using you sent her over the edge."

"This can't be real. This can't be real. I keep expecting to wake up in my bed and this day never happened." At this point Rachel is hyperventilating and Santana takes her into her arms rocking her back and forth whispering assurances in her ear. Eventually, Rachel calms down enough for Santana to continue on with her particular take on recent events.

"Tiny I need you to listen to me ok?" At the sight of Rachel's small nod Santana continues on. "You need to make Quinn work for this ok? In the end it will be good for both of you. You don't trust her or me right now, nor should you. Make me work for it too ok? If by some miracle this relationship works out, it won't do either of you any good to wonder if you caved out of fear or genuine feelings ok? So don't back down, and don't be afraid to call me. I need to earn your trust as well. Until such a time we will hang out with Brittany in the group, does that sound good to you?"

"Yes, it does. Thank you Santana. Quinn is already trying to remedy the trust situation. She wants to make a deal that if she can't get me to want to be in this relationship within the next thirty days then she will leave me alone. She promises that if it doesn't work out then she will keep my secret, so trust me if in the small chance she wins me over it will be because she earned it. To do that she is going to need a miracle though. I wanted to talk to you to make sure this wasn't some sort of sick joke. Now that I believe you can you call Brittany and have her come over? I have a feeling Quinn and I will need help sorting out the details of this deal."

"Sure thing Tiny. Let's go downstairs though. When I came in Quinn was cooking, and being raised in a household where she was being groomed to be the perfect trophy wife makes her a phenomenal chief."


	3. Chapter 3

Santana hadn't been mistaken when she said Quinn was a phenomenal cook. Even though it was a simple meal the added spices to the marinara sauce and homemade dressing for the salad gave it something extra. Rachel couldn't help but compliment the chief, and truly wanted to know the secret spice she added to the marinara sauce. After five, long minutes of eating in silence the doorbell finally rang. Rachel sprinted out of her seat to get out of the awkwardness and let Brittany in.

As soon as she left Quinn looked to Santana. "So on a scale of one to I'm fucked would you say I am?"

Letting out a sigh Santana answered. "I wouldn't say you're completely fucked, but you're not far off either. The thirty day deal was a ballsy move, but I respect it. If you want her Quinn you're going to have to work hard. This will be the hardest you will ever have to work. Be thankful you even have a shot because of how forgiving she is."

"I know. I shouldn't have done it this way. But he was cheating on her every day Santana! Every single day! And she would have gone back to him, you yourself just mentioned how forgiving she is."

"That is probably exactly what would have happened Quinn, but they never would have gotten married or anything. You played your hand too soon and now you have to deal with the consequences. But we should also pay Finn a visit." At the end of her proclamation Santana gave a smirk, which told Quinn exactly what type of visit they would be paying him.

"But honestly Quinn you should be more worried about when Brittany's genius self is on Rachel's side for hammering out this deal."

Only one word slipped out of Quinn's mouth when the full meaning of Santana's words hit her. "Fuck."

While Santana and Quinn were talking in the kitchen, Brittany and Rachel were having a meeting of their own. "Thank you so much for coming Britt, I could really use you right now."

Hugging Rachel, Brittany replied "No problem Rae. I still can't believe Quinn went this far. Sure, she's been obsessed with you for a long time, but blackmail? That doesn't seem like her." Brittany was frowning to herself thinking of how she could have missed something so big happening. Then again Santana and Quinn had a lot of time to themselves while she was at her dance classes.

"About that, Quinn has changed the game, so to speak. The new arrangement on the table is if I give her a chance at being my girlfriend for thirty days then she will leave me alone, and keep my secret, if I don't want to be with her in the end."

Mulling the new information over Brittany caught on quickly. "So you need me here to catch when Quinn and Santana try to give Quinn too much of an advantage in the fine print? I'll happily do that Rae, where are dumb and dumber?"

Leading Brittany into the kitchen the two girls took note of how quickly Santana and Quinn had stopped talking when they had entered the room. Deciding to deal with one problem at a time, Rachel grabbed her Mac laptop she had brought down with her and ushered the group into the living room. Handing the laptop to Brittany Rachel started with her first demand. "Seeing as the only person we can all agree to trust in this room is Brittany I want her to type out the agreement. She is also the only one with any legal knowledge at all."

All four girls in the room found it humorous that the overwhelming majority of McKinley High thought Brittany Pierce was stupid, the girl had an IQ that is higher than Albert Einstein's. If the students would actually pay attention they would see that Brittany was getting straight A's in all AP classes. In fact, the material proved to be so boring that Brittany day dreamed in every class. The teachers left her alone because of her test scores and Coach Sylvester. Seeing the dreamy look on her face her classmates started jumping to the conclusion that Brittany was stupid, so she decided to play along as a way to pass the time. Honestly, at this point Brittany was merely seeing how much she could get away with, and how ridiculous she could be before someone figured out her little game. So far McKinley was disappointing her greatly. She had started calling people dolphins and unicorns for crying out loud!

Quinn and Santana agreed that Brittany was the best choice for the job and the bartering started. To an outsider it would look like two lawyers defending their clients, rather than four high school girls trying to figure their way out of a messy situation.

Quinn started with her demands. "So the baseline of this agreement is that you, Rachel, have to give me thirty days to change how you feel about me, and have you want to be in this relationship. If I do not then I have to leave you alone, and I promise that Santana and I will keep the secret about your dads."

Looking over to Brittany who discreetly nodded her head, Rachel turned back to Quinn and nodded her own head in agreement.

Picking up again Quinn rattled off some of her more pressing demands. "As you will be my girlfriend, I want you to wear my jacket in school, allow me to pick you up and drop you off on school days, spend a minimum of six days a week together, and Saturday afternoons are alone time for me and you."

Excusing herself to the next room with Brittany, Rachel went to talk counter proposals. As they left Quinn chuckled a bit and asked Santana "too much?"

"Yeah Cap, but isn't that your plan? Ask for a lot and get the number you actually want? I'm so happy I've never pissed you off Quinn."

After waiting just three minutes Rachel and Brittany returned back with their own terms. Rachel stated "I will agree to Saturday afternoons, but after six it is my decision of whether or not our day continues. As for hanging out six days a week, that is ridiculous, I can work with a mandatory four, and that is including the Saturday. Also, of the four days at least two have to be spent in groups. However, you are not driving me to school, and I am not wearing your jacket." Brittany and Santana sat back and watched the stare down between Quinn and Rachel, as though it was a professional tennis match. Constantly shifting their own focus from one opponent to the next.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Quinn smirked. To those in the room who knew her best, they knew this meant trouble for Rachel. "I will agree to your conditions about Saturday, and four times a week does sound more manageable. After all, I will need ample time to readjust my plans to woo you. As for the jacket and rides to school, I'm not budging on that. We can stay here all night for all I care. Actually, if anything, that just gives me more incentive to hold out." With this said Quinn leaned back into the couch and stretched out, giving off the impression that she was making herself comfortable.

Rachel huffed at the blonde's cockiness, but internally she knew she won a big battle with the time constriction and four times a week, so she would try compromising again. "I'm not giving you both. How about if I wear your jacket to school but I drive myself?"

"Or you could wear the jacket and I get to drive you to and from school on Tuesday and Thursday?" Quinn rebutted.

"Fine."

After giving Brittany a couple of minutes to get it all down Quinn brought up the next topic of discussion. "I want it written in bold, underline, and all caps that unless it is holding hands or my arm around her waist, I am not allowed to touch Rachel without her permission."

Santana had to give it to her cap, that move was brilliant. Not only had she just secured being able to show McKinley that Rachel was hers, she also managed to show Rachel that she truly didn't want to hurt her. The only reason Quinn was even pushing hand holding was to make it clear to Finnept that Rachel was _not_ single. However, Santana also knew the thought of ever pushing Rachel in that kind of way truly repulsed Quinn. No matter how this came about Quinn's intentions were honorable, albeit selfish too, but they still came from a place of wanting to protect Rachel, not hurt her. Rachel sat there opening and closing her mouth in shock at the offer, and after a minute dumbly nodded her head in agreement.

With that done Quinn moved on once again. "I know you have your friends Rachel and I don't want to keep you from them so I ask that you have lunch with me the same days I drive you to school and you sit next to me in the classes we share?"

Rachel was continuously being shocked by Quinn at this point. Her proclamation that she would never touch Rachel without her permission, wasn't surprising. Rather, it was the intensity with which she said it that had caught Rachel off guard. She would go as far as to say Quinn sounded as though she would hurt herself if she ever pushed Rachel in that way. After recovering from that, Quinn, who had been super controlling up until now, only wanted lunch two days a week? There had to be a catch. "What's the catch Quinn?"

Laughing Quinn merely replied "Glee is included as a class, and I get to walk you to all of your classes."

Not seeing anything wrong with the added conditions Rachel once again gave her consent to Brittany who was updating their agreement within moments of that consent. Moving on Quinn began "There is only one more thing I want in the agreement, and that is confidentiality. I don't want the whole school to find out our arrangement. And honestly, it isn't for my reputation. No one is surprised we are dating Rachel, everyone at school has always known I've had a thing for you. However, if it gets out that I blackmailed you into this people will start digging for the reason why. Again, it took one Google search and I found out about your dads Rachel, I don't want anyone else finding out either."

"I want to tell Noah and Tina about this. They're my best friends, minus Brittany, and there is no way they'll buy I decided in less than twenty-four hours to dump Finn and date you. Besides they already know about my dads."

"Okay, that's fair."

"Wait, really that is it?!"

"I told you Rachel, I don't care about my reputation, I care about you. If you say you need to tell Puck and Tina then I trust you."

Brittany interrupted what had turned out to be yet another staring contest between the diva and the cheerleader. This time it was more of curiosity meets pleading. Rachel being curious if Quinn was being honest, and Quinn's eyes begging Rachel to believe her. "Alright then everything is all typed out to your specifications, just sign and date and then Santana and I will as well as your witnesses."

Once that was all done Quinn looked to Rachel. "I've thrown a lot at you today Rachel, and I am sorry, but I'm also thankful for the chance you've given me. I'll be here at 6:45 tomorrow morning to pick you up." Turning away from Rachel, Quinn addressed Santana this time. "S I am going to need your help will you follow me out?"

Santana said she would and then gave her goodbyes to Rachel and Brittany and followed Quinn out of the house. "Where to Cap?"

"All over town S, I have my work cut out for me."

The duo did go to all sides of Lima between the trips to the grocery store, music store, sporting goods store, and the florist. It took Santana and Quinn three hours to get everything together and back to Santana's house. While Quinn really would tell her parents what was going on if they asked, she wasn't trying to get them to ask either. It's no fun being a teenager who is certain they will be thrown out of their house. Thankfully, for Quinn, Santana's parents were only slightly better than Rachel's parents. At least they were in the same town as their child. But, with how often they were home, you would think they were in another state.

Before going to bed Santana and Quinn planned out more steps for Quinn to woo Rachel, and win the agreement for Quinn.

"Well, Q, I would have told you to start off subtle but then you would just blackmail the girl some more."

Quinn looked sardonically at Santana before replying; "Ha ha ha very funny Santana, you're just a regular comedian."

"Why thank you Q, it's about time you noticed my talents. But really, Q, you need to start slow. Rachel will be expecting large, overbearing gestures that will inevitably drive her farther away from you. So for tomorrow we start small. Use the yellow rose and breakfast ideas for starters. Seeing how she reacts will show how we continue."

"Well in that case, I have a note to write and sleep to get. Thank you Santana, for everything."

"No problem Cap, just know that if you fuck with Tiny again I am going to have to go all Lima Heights on your ass. That girl has enough shit already to deal with."

"I know, I promise you and myself that I will never willingly hurt Rachel again. But, what do we do about Finn? She'll see a scheme of ours from a mile away, thus putting me farther away from winning her over."

"Exactly, which is why for the next two weeks we do nothing. Let Finn, and by association Rachel, think nothing else is coming. Then, when Finn inevitably gets into a fight with someone else we make our move. Most of the school, and Rachel included, will think it is because of the new trouble he found himself in. Then again we could always help that along too, you know some of the baby Cheerios older brothers would hate to hear of their lame, losing quarterback nailing their sisters in the locker room."

"That's genius S. Thank you! Do you think we could get Puck and Brit to help?"

"Knowing how close they are to Rachel, yeah I think they would help in a heartbeat. We can plan more details out another time. For now you need to go and focus on winning over Rachel."

"You're right, I'll see you in the morning S."

With that Quinn went home and snuck upstairs into her room without any parental interference. She began writing her note and it wasn't until the fourth time she wrote it that she felt satisfied that she did not sound desperate, needy, or over the top with it. Going to sleep with hope that this could all work out Quinn got the best night's sleep since before spring break of the last school year.

Rachel woke up to the sound of her alarm the next morning and decided to go for a jog around the neighborhood, instead of on the elliptical. Running outside always helped to clear her mind better than the stationary machine. Dressed in black running shorts and a neon yellow tank top with her Nike running shoes, Rachel took off on her morning run. Throughout the run Rachel continued to think over her situation with Quinn. Going through the past six months she could remember times where Quinn had tried to get her alone, and Finn or someone else had come in and ruined the timing. She could also pick out occasions where Quinn had gone out of her way to be nice to her. But did the past six months cancel out the nine months of torture before that?

Then there was Quinn's upbringing to think about. Bullying Rachel instead of owning up to her own waging feelings made sense in hindsight. Most teens have trouble coming out to their parents, and there are plenty of those parents who are not hardcore, strict, Republicans who twist verses in the Bible to suit their needs. In all honesty, Rachel was shocked Quinn even worked through that part this quickly. It was something she could admire about the blonde.

And the last part, even with the past and parents aside, was Rachel even attracted to Quinn? There was no denying that the blonde haired cheerleader was gorgeous, especially when she wore her hair down and relaxing clothing, or those summer dresses she owns. But was that enough? Sure, there were some points last year when Rachel and Quinn had been arguing so intensely that Rachel was positive others mistook it for sexual tension. But was that true? Was it sexual tension? Rachel had always been so sure it was hatred that she never gave any credence to the other theory.

Getting lost in her thoughts the 45 minute run passed quickly, and Rachel was home and in the shower before she knew it. She had run a little longer than expected this morning and by the time she had finished dressing the doorbell rang. Knowing who it was Rachel grabbed the letterman jacket that was hanging on the back of her desk chair and headed down to answer the door.

Just as she expected Quinn was patiently waiting for her on the other side of the door. As Rachel answered the door she noted the genuine smile that took over Quinn's features, making the already pretty girl look gorgeous. The smile seemingly grew larger when Quinn could see that Rachel was indeed wearing the letterman jacket, as promised. Rachel had been too busy staring at Quinn's smile to take note of the coffee cups and bag containing the Lima Bean emblem on it. Quinn let Rachel look for a moment, it couldn't hurt her cause, before interrupting her thoughts.

"Good morning Rachel. I hope it's not too presumptuous of me but I brought you some breakfast. I figured you could eat it on the way into school?"

Rachel smiled and thanked Quinn while taking the bag and coffee meant for her. Walking to the car Quinn sped ahead a little bit so she could open the door for Rachel. Once in the car, Rachel peered into the bag and saw an everything bagel, with vegetable cream cheese. Taking a sip of the coffee she noted that it was exactly the way she liked it. "Quinn, how did you know my favorite breakfast?"

Looking sheepish and blushing Quinn responded "I kind of cheated and begged Brittany to tell me."

Giggling to herself Rachel appreciated the effort and thought Quinn put into bringing her breakfast. "And what did you have to trade her for said information?" Knowing her best friend, Rachel knew Brittany would use this type of situation to get something she wanted in return.

"I had to promise to clean her room for the next two weeks." Once again Quinn had blushed, and Rachel found it endearing. The thought caught her off guard, as she was supposed to strongly dislike the girl in front of her.

Pulling up to the school Quinn asked Rachel to wait for her, and proceeded to rush around the car to open the door again for her. Going a step further Quinn took Rachel's backpack and threw it over her shoulder to carry it for Rachel, ending the movement by taking Rachel's hand into her own. Not used to such thoughtful treatment it was Rachel's turn to blush as Quinn led her into the hallways that made up McKinley High.


	4. Chapter 4

The masses that made up McKinley always seemed to sense when Quinn was nearby and would part for her, and thereby they now parted for Rachel. It was a rush for Rachel, she began to feel like the star she was meant to become in that moment. She looked to Quinn and saw the smile on her face, she could tell the girl felt proud she was walking in with her arm, now, wrapped around Rachel's waist. This only added to the high Rachel was starting to feel. She knew that Finn never really felt proud of their relationship, he would never go out of his way to broadcast it in any way at school.

These thoughts filled Rachel up until they reached her locker where Quinn left her momentarily, as the blonde cheerleader had a locker of her own to get to. Opening up the locker Rachel was surprised to find a yellow rose with a small note card attached to it.

Dear Rachel,

I wanted to say thank you for giving me this chance to win your forgiveness, and potentially your heart. I chose a yellow rose because of what it signifies, which is new beginnings and friendship. I am hoping we can use the next thirty days to start over and become, at the very least, friends. I am not saying that this means I will not try and win you over Rachel Berry, in fact the opposite is true. For the next thirty days I will be trying my hardest to show you how happy we can be as a couple. So be prepared Rachel, I am coming for your heart.

Sincerely Yours,

Quinn

Rachel read the note over again before she was tapped on the shoulder. Turning around she came face to face with a timid looking Quinn Fabray. Before she could think about her actions Rachel threw her arms around the taller girl's waist and held her. Quinn was momentarily caught off guard by the action, and when her brain caught up to the situation and she immediately returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Rachel's shoulders. The girls stayed this way for almost a minute, blissfully unaware of the students around them. Santana spotted this moment, just in time, to tap Brittany on the shoulder to show her the couple. They smiled knowingly at each other before walking off to class, hand in hand. It wasn't until the bell rang that Rachel released her hold on Quinn.

"Not that I am complaining Rachel, but is there a reason for this hug?"

Pulling back Rachel waited until she was looking Quinn in the eye to give her explanation. "I just have never had a significant other do something so little, yet so sweet. Thank you Quinn, between the breakfast and the note with the rose, my morning has truly been made."

Quinn smiled proudly, happy in knowing her efforts paid off, if only a little. "You're welcome Rae, but just to warn you, baby, you just ain't seen nothing yet." Quinn proceeded to wink at Rachel, while taking her books out of her hands and then putting an arm around the young diva's waist, guiding them to their first period class. She figured throwing in song references in here and there couldn't hurt her chances with the musically inclined girl either.

The rest of the morning went by quickly for the girls, as they had all three morning classes together. When lunch rolled around Rachel found herself nervous, knowing she had to uphold her end of the bargain and sit with Quinn. It was Tuesday. Sensing her nerves Quinn pulled Rachel aside before they entered the cafeteria. "Rachel, we don't have to sit with the Cheerios today if you don't want to. But before you make your decision let me tell you that none of the girls on the team actually dislike you. It was all my doing for last year, and when I explained to my team everything, including my crush on you, they were surprisingly supportive. There are two girls who have been giving me a hard time on the team, but they ostracized themselves and do not even sit with us. Actually, some of the girls were looking forward to apologizing to you. But you are my number one priority, so if you don't feel comfortable say the word and we can eat somewhere else, or at another table. The girls will understand."

Rachel weighed the pros and cons in her mind before making her decision. In the end, it was the knowledge that Quinn was trying to win her over, and wouldn't knowingly do anything to jeopardize that, that made Rachel decide to give the Cheerio table a try. She also knew she had Brittany and Santana there to back her up as well. Telling Quinn she was willing to give it a try, the blonde Cheerio merely smiled and gently guided Rachel into the cafeteria and over to the right table, with a hand on the small of her back.

Sitting down, Rachel felt her anxiety levels raise again as she realized most of the table was looking at her. It was a dark haired cheerleader, Jessica, who started the conversation. "Hi Rachel, I'm glad you decided to sit with us. Listen, most of us feel awful about last year, and we wanted to say sorry. I hope you can give us a chance." Looking at Jessica, and the other Cheerios at the table Rachel saw the sincerity in their eyes and decided to forgive, but not forget.

"I forgive you, Jessica. I couldn't help but notice you said most though?" Rachel looked to Jessica sensing that the girl would refuse to sugar coat anything for her.

"Yeah, there are two cheerleaders who don't like the new zero tolerance on bullying Quinn imposed on the team. They think you are to blame, as well as Quinn, and have been giving her a hard time over it. Don't worry though we have your back, and their mostly harmless. Just so you know though it is Liz and Daniella that are upset with the new rules. To be honest, the rest of us were relieved when Quinn but the ban on bullying."

The last statement came as a total shock to Rachel, and she looked to Quinn who was in a conversation with Santana and Brittany. She waited patiently for Santana to finish her statement before interrupting and asking Quinn. "You really told the Cheerios to stop bullying people?"

Quinn sighed before answering. "Yes Rachel, I did. I figured if the team felt half as guilty as I did about the pain I was inflicting on others then it wouldn't be hard, and I was right. We can't force the jocks to stop, and that's why there is still slushing occurring, but can you honestly tell me that you have seen a Cheerio throw a slushy in the last six months?"

Quinn turned to Santana once more continuing their conversation. She knew that Rachel needed time to process the new information thrown at her. The positive for Quinn was she knew that the information could only help her in winning over Rachel. But, being honest with herself, she didn't do it for Rachel, she did it for herself. While bullying others made her feel better about herself for about ten seconds after it happened, she would end up feeling ten times worse later on; and she knew she wasn't the only one.

The rest of lunch was rather successful, filled with laughs and forgiveness. A decent amount of the girls had personally apologized to Rachel, not out of some sort of loyalty to Quinn, but because of genuine regret they held. The rest of the day went smoothly as well, with Quinn continuing to walk Rachel to class, and hold her books. There was no name calling, or slushy throwing at the supposed 'couple.' It was one of the best school days Rachel had, had in a long time.

Before they knew it, it was time for the girls to go to Glee. Once there Quinn and Rachel took their seats in the back row with Santana and Brittany, and Quinn's arm securely around the back of Quinn's chair. The assignment for the week had been relationships, whether it was new or old, going strong or breaking up. Honestly, Mr. Schue could not have been any more obvious when he made the assignment that he was giving Finn a chance to take a shot at Rachel. If he continued this way Santana and Quinn were going to have to seriously consider getting him removed as Glee coach. They did know just the person to help them. The funny thing was that Mr. Schue did not count on the fact that he was helping out Quinn. As the assignment was relationships, and everyone in Glee club sans Puck, Tina, Brittany and Santana thought that she was together with Rachel, they would fully expect her to serenade the diva. Quinn could only see this as a positive and already had a couple of song choices picked out. She needed something light and fun, nothing that screamed "I love you," she wasn't that crazy, but something to convey how much she liked Rachel. It was a fine line she was attempting to walk.

Instead of Finn going today, or even Quinn or Rachel, Tina and Mike both performed as well as Puck and Brittany. The young couple decided to sing songs about being firmly in love, much to the happiness of their fellow glee clubbers. Tina and Mike had a relationship that seemed effortless. With how much they had in common, from interests, hobbies to familial obligations the two were working out perfectly for each other. While Tina sang Teenage Dream, by Katy Perry, Mike opted to sing Just the Way You Are, by Bruno Mars. Both songs were upbeat and fun, and the glee club had joined in singing before each song was even half way over. As Mike went second the two shared a sweet, chaste kiss at the end of his serenade.

Being single, Puck decided to sing about just that concept, and how fun it could be. Picking out another fun song, Puck sang C'mon by Ke$ha making everyone laugh at his choice. The song was way different then something Puck had ever sang, and would ever sing, but he did it in an effort to cheer Rachel up. His song choice did just that as he ran up the bleachers a verse in to pull the diva out of her chair and dance with her. Being silly in the middle of the room the majority of the Glee club followed suit, leaving a pouting Finn alone in his chair. Even Quinn had gotten up with Santana and Brittany to dance along with the song. Instead of complementing Puck on going out of his comfort zone, and doing a damn good job of it, Mr. Schue said the song was horribly inappropriate and the next time it happened Puck would be serving a detention.

Brittany's final performance of the day was dedicated completely to Santana, catching absolutely no one by surprise. The song Brittany chose to sing was shockingly a country song called Crazy Girl by the Eli Young Band. Taking it a step farther, Brittany had secretly enlisted the help of Puck, who strummed along on his guitar as she serenaded her girlfriend. Most of the glee club was not familiar with the song, but loved it and mentally told themselves they were going to have to download it once they got home. Brittany's performance was moving, and while it wasn't as light-hearted as the rest of the performances it was profound in its own right. Santana had loved every minute of the song and vowed to give as good as she got from her girl. She would simply need to brainstorm with Quinn.

Rachel sat through Glee fully enjoying her teammate's performances, as they were all showing different sides of their musical abilities. For someone who was supposed to have a "weaker" voice in the club, Rachel couldn't help but notice how well Mike handled the Bruno Mars song. For her own song this week Rachel was at an impasse. On the one hand she wanted to sing a break up song to Finn, on the other hand she would be expected to sing a song to her girlfriend. If Quinn and Rachel had started dating the normal way, Rachel would have no qualms with this, but they didn't. She didn't want to send the wrong message to Quinn. Sure, the girl had been kind to her for a couple of months, and the last two days were exceptionally sweet, but that didn't automatically add up to romantic feelings. There was still an enormous amount of history that Rachel was trying to get past.

Before she could come to a clear cut decision it was time for Glee to be let out, and she figured she would get her answer after tomorrow when both Finn and Quinn would be giving their assignments. For now Quinn dropped Rachel off at her house and stalled for a couple of moments when she pulled into the driveway. Cutting the engine and maneuvering herself so she was looking Rachel in the eye Quinn asked. "Rachel, would you do me the honor of going on a double date with me this Friday? The drive-in movies are playing back to back horror films and I thought we could go with Brittany and Santana. If you don't want to do that I'm sure I could find something else."

Cutting Quinn of before she could ramble anymore, which if Rachel was being honest with herself she found endearing, she put the poor girl out of her misery. "That sounds like a great plan Quinn, I happen to love the drive-in movies, as well as a good horror film."

That was something new that Quinn had learned about Rachel, originally catching her off guard. The young brunette had great taste in movies, and especially enjoying cinema in the horror, action and adventure genres. This pleased Quinn immensely because those were her favorite types of movies as well. She also had a slight hope that if they saw a horror film, Rachel would get scarred, and cuddle into her for comfort. A girl could dream right?

A bright smile took over the blonde cheerleader's face when Rachel's acceptance finally sunk in. "We could go to dinner before too. Which reminds me, if you don't mind me asking, I thought you were vegan? I saw meat products in your fridge and freezer yesterday."

Rachel nodded her head to signify she understood the other girl's confusion before giving her explanation. "I did try it for a while, but with intense dance classes five times a week, and taking into consideration my already small stature, I simply could not afford to give up the nutrients found mainly in meat. I try to buy organic or from somewhere where I know the animals were at least treated kindly."

"That makes sense, speaking of dance class, is it okay if I come watch yours tomorrow? I was going to be there anyways because Santana was going to watch Brittany, but if it is going to make you uncomfortable I will stay away."

Rachel looked to Quinn and saw a multitude of emotions in that moment. She saw the scared girl, terrified of rejection, she saw the sincerity that if Rachel said no Quinn would honestly stay away from the practice, and lastly she saw the hesitance in Quinn. The hesitance to ask a question that could led to rejection. How Rachel thought Quinn had the perfect life, just last year, was beyond her now. It was hitting her in that exact moment, just how hard Quinn's life had been to create this scarred, unsure, young girl. It was in the moment after that, which she truly began to soften to Quinn. It wasn't a moment where a huge romantic gesture occurred, or some sign came down from the universe. It was a moment in which Rachel Berry had an epiphany, of just how alike she and Quinn Fabray were.

"That sounds good, maybe we could all get coffee after?" Rachel asked timidly, not because she was afraid of rejection, but rather, she didn't want to prematurely get Quinn's hopes up.

However, the real, genuine smile that overcame Quinn's face made it worth taking that risk. It did not mean, in any way shape or form that Rachel wanted to date Quinn, but she found herself wanting to get to know Quinn. Maybe they could be best friends. With that Quinn and Rachel said their goodbyes and Rachel went into her house. Both girls spent the rest of their night doing homework and talking to their best friends Santana and Brittany, respectively.

The next morning Quinn met Rachel at her locker with a soft smile and happiness shining through her eyes. Walking together to their first class hand in hand Rachel actually felt relaxed. Quinn had found the perfect song last night to sing to Rachel in Glee that afternoon. It was not a love song, but it was upbeat and conveyed the message she wanted to send to her diva. Using this high the duo got through the rest of the day with little to no drama. During lunch Rachel sat with her friends from Glee, all who began grilling her the moment she sat down about her relationship with Quinn. While she repeatedly told them, in her completely fake persona, that it was a new relationship and she requested their patience while she saw were it went, she whispered a promise to Tina that she would call her tonight and explain everything.

Before either girl knew it, it was time for Glee. Deciding to go first Quinn took a deep breath as her music kicked in.

Ooh girl you're shining  
Like a 5th avenue diamond  
And they don't make you like they used to  
You're never going out of style

Ooh pretty baby  
This world might've gone crazy  
The way you save me  
Who can blame me  
When I just wanna make you smile?

At this moment Quinn ran up the bleachers and grabbed Rachel's hand, pulling her down in front of the whole club to serenade her. Everyone else recognized the fairly new song, and began singing along with Quinn, everyone except Finn.

I wanna thrill you like Michael  
I wanna kiss you like Prince  
Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye  
Like Hathaway  
Write a song for you like this

You're over my head  
I'm out of my mind  
Thinking I was born in the wrong time  
One of a kind, living in a world gone plastic  
Baby you're so classic  
Baby you're so classic  
Baby you,  
Baby you're so classic

Throughout the rest of the hook and chorus Quinn had spun Rachel around the room, quite literally weaving her in and out of the other members that had joined them on the floor. Rachel was laughing, dancing, and singing along to Quinn's song, completely immersed in the joy she got from it. As Quinn spun her out on the last line of the chorus, she point to Rachel before pulling the young diva to sit down in the front row of the club. Sitting next to her, Quinn began to sing the next verse.

Four dozen of roses  
Anything for you to notice  
All the way to serenade you  
Doing it Sinatra style

Ima pick you up in a Cadillac  
Like a gentleman bringin' glamour back  
Keep it reel to reel in the way I feel  
I could walk you down the aisle

I wanna thrill you like Michael  
I wanna kiss you like Prince  
Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye  
Like Hathaway  
Write a song for you like this 

At this Quinn threw a wink at Rachel, and picked her up once more to spin her into Brittany's arms. Rachel and Brittany danced with such fluidity that some in the club stopped their own dancing to stare at them. They had the type of synchronization that only came with a combination of natural chemistry, and years of practicing together. Quinn used this opportunity to go to the microphone stand on the front of the miniature stage to continue her song.

You're over my head  
I'm out of my mind  
Thinking I was born in the wrong time  
It's love on rewind,  
Everything is so throwback-ish (I kinda like it, like it)  
Out of my league  
Old school chic  
Like a movie star  
From the silver screen  
You're one of a kind living in a world gone plastic  
Baby you're so classic  
Baby you're so classic  
Baby you're so classic 

Now it was Santana standing at the mic, looking directly into Brittany's eyes as she took care of the rap in the song. She pointed to Brittany and winked as she masterfully worked through the rap. When Quinn and Santana had picked out what song Quinn wanted to do Santana had immediately volunteered to take care of the rap portion. Quinn kept dancing on stage to support Santana in that moment.

Baby you're class and baby you're sick  
I never met a girl like you ever til we met  
A star in the 40s, centrefold in the 50s  
Got me tripping out like the sixties  
Hippies Queen of the discotheque  
A 70s dream and an 80s best  
Hepburn, Beyoncé, Marilyn, Massive  
Girl you're timeless, just so classic

At this moment, both Santana and Quinn jumped off of the stage to steal their respective girlfriends back to finish dancing out the song together.

You're over my head I'm out of my mind  
Thinking I was born in the wrong time  
It's love on rewind,  
Everything is so throwback-ish (I kinda like it, like it)  
Out of my league  
Old school chic  
Like a movie star  
From the silver screen  
You're one of a kind living in a world gone plastic  
Baby you're so classic  
Baby you're so classic  
Baby you're so classic

During the last three lines, Quinn and Santana had gripped Rachel and Brittany's hands and led them back up the bleachers. Santana took the second to last line singing it directly to Brittany, and Quinn took the final line, singing directly to Rachel. When the final note past the whole club, sans Finn, was giving a blushing Quinn and smirking Santana a standing ovation. Even Mr. Schue was clapping.

All four girls, and most of the club, were out of breathe but smiling brightly. It was the perfect way to start off Glee, and Rachel would be lying if she said that song didn't sway her towards forgiving Quinn even further. The song was amazing, and obviously well thought out. Now she knew why Quinn and Santana hadn't been at the Cheerio table at lunch, not that Rachel had been looking. Before Quinn could even catch her breath, Finn had to go and ruin the moment.

"Mr. Schue, I want to perform my song next." As Finn made his demand, it was Quinn he was staring at, not Mr. Schue. The heated glare he sent Quinn did nothing to deter her though, as she merely smirked at the boy and moved her arm along the backside of Rachel's chair. She was amazed at how such a small action could calm her so much. Whatever song Finn wanted to sing was fine, because at the end of the day she refused to lose Rachel to someone who was so unworthy of her.


	5. Chapter 5

Finn stood awkwardly in front of the room, shifting his weight side to side, from left to right. "My song is dedicated to Rachel. I'm sorry I messed up baby, I promise I'll make it up to you when we're back together." Finn tried to end it smoothly with a wink, but really it just made half of the Glee club, including Rachel, cringe.

Before the song had even started both Rachel and Quinn were fuming with anger. Rachel because Finn called her baby, and just expected her to fall right back into his arms, as though he didn't cheat on her with half a dozen baby Cheerios. Quinn was almost shaking with rage because Finn was trying to say Rachel was his, in front of all of their friends. Not only was Rachel not his, she was also not a possession, and everyone in the room knew, or at least believed, that Rachel was with Quinn. This was just rude.

The opening chords played throughout the room and immediately Quinn and Rachel recognized the song, which served to add to their already growing ire. Instead of jumping out at Finn, Quinn moved her arm from the back of Rachel's chair to the young girl's waist, letting her hand rest on Rachel's hip. The action reassured Quinn and caused a weird sensation for Rachel. The movement made Rachel feel safe, and wanted, she shook her head before she could really analyze what that meant though.

Finn's voice also help distract her from her confusing thoughts as he began to sing the first lines of his chosen song.

I was blown away.  
What could I say?  
It all seemed to make sense.  
You've taken away everything,  
And I can't deal with that.  
I try to see the good in life,  
But good things in life are hard to find.  
We'll blow it away, blow it away.  
Can we make this something good?  
Well, I'll try to do it right this time around.

Let's start over.  
I'll try to do it right this time around.  
It's not over.  
'Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground.  
This love is killing me,  
But you're the only one.  
It's not over.

Taken all I could take,  
And I cannot wait.  
We're wasting too much time  
Being strong, holding on.  
Can't let it bring us down.  
My life with you means everything,  
So I won't give up that easily.  
I'll blow it away, blow it away.  
Can we make this something good?  
'Cause it's all misunderstood.  
Well, I'll try to do it right this time around.

At this point Finn had made the decision to leave the microphone stand he had been singing to Rachel from. Throughout the song the boy had tried to force eye contact, but Rachel refused to look at him for more than a couple of words at a time. If he shifted his gaze even a little off of Rachel he would be met with the cold glares coming from Quinn, Santana, and Brittany. In fact, it was at the sight of Quinn leaning her head down to whisper intimately into Rachel's ear, which caused Finn to make his way up the bleachers towards Rachel. Coming down into a crouch in front of her Finn forcibly grabbed Rachel's hands as he sang the next set of verses to her.

Let's start over.  
I'll try to do it right this time around.  
It's not over.  
'Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground.  
This love is killing me,  
But you're the only one.  
It's not over.

We can't let this get away.  
Let it out, let it out.  
Don't get caught up in yourself.  
Let it out.

During this time Rachel still refused to look at Finn, making the teenage boy grow more and more frustrated as each moment passed. Quinn and Santana were practically vibrating with anger at the boy's display of blatant disregard for Rachel. Clearly the girl was uncomfortable, and wanted him to stop. Brittany had her arm wrapped around Quinn's shoulders from behind, keeping the girl from doing anything dumb. With her free hand she grabbed one of Santana's and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Let's start over.  
I'll try to do it right this time around.  
It's not over.  
'Cause a part of me is dead and in the ground.  
This love is killing me,  
But you're the only one.  
It's not over.

Let's start over.  
It's not over, yeah...  
This love is killing me,  
But you're the only one.  
It's not over.

As the song came to a final close Finn had enough of 'playing hard to get' by ignoring him and roughly cupped her chin forcing her to look at him. Before anyone could react he lunged forward, roughly forcing a kiss on the young brunette. At this point the room ascended into chaos. The first of many chain events was that Santana Lopez and Noah Puckerman moved in complete synchronization as they each appeared at an opposing side of Finn Hudson, removing him from Rachel. As they drug the foolish boy down the stands Quinn moved Rachel into her lap, cradling the now sobbing girl, and whispering that everything would be alright. During this Tina Cho-Chang and Brittany Pierce came to sit on either side of Rachel and Quinn, with Mike Chang and Sam Evans standing in front, just in case Finn got loose.

When they finally got him down the stairs Noah turned Finn around so he was fully facing him, and punched him square in the eye. Finn tumbled down where he listened to the verbal ass kicking dished out to him by Noah and Santana. "Don't you EVER touch my Jew babe without her consent! You are to stay away from her, or so help me God Finn, I will do a hell of a lot worse than giving you a black eye!"

As soon as Noah finished Santana took up the reigns. "Escucha aquí perra, si vuelves a cerca de mi hija, me aseguraré que no puede tener hijos. ¿Entiendes?" (Translation: Listen here bitch, ever come near my girl again and I'll make sure you can never have children. Understand?)

At this time it was as though Mr. Schue finally realized he had a job to do as he tried to manage the chaos that had become Glee club in the last few minutes. "Santana, Puckerman, go to the principal's office right now! I will not have you physically assaulting your teammate. You are also suspended from Glee for the next three practices."

Surprisingly, it was Kurt who spoke up next. "Mr. Schue, with all due respect, if you're giving that punishment to Santana and Puck, then you have to give it to Finn as well. Just look at Rachel, her chin is already bruising and he forced himself on her. That's sexual harassment." All members of the Glee club were nodding their heads, and murmuring their agreements with Kurt's statement.

Quiet Mike even jumped in to the aid of Puck and Santana, as well. "Yeah Mr. Schue. Besides Puck and Santana would have never attacked Finn if he hadn't harmed Rachel first. Do you really want them telling Mr. Figgin's their story and him wondering why Finn wasn't sent to the office as well?" The look of resignation on Mr. Schue's face told the club they had won this round. There was no way he would want his golden boy to get in trouble.

Trying to save face Mr. Schue addressed everyone. "Santana, Puck, consider yourselves lucky, I'm letting you off with a warning." At this the whole club simply rolled their eyes at the blatant and consistent favoritism being played out in front of them. "I think that is enough excitement for one day, you're all excused."

A dejected Finn was the first to walk out, on the heels of Mr. Schue. It honestly looked like a little lost puppy following its owner out. A couple of the Glee club members followed suit, shaking their heads in disappointment at their supposed leader. He was too blinded by his attempt to relive his glory days through Finn that he completely missed what being a teacher was all about. There was no growth or equality in the class, they would never win if they could not get past this.

A couple of minutes had gone by leaving Noah, Santana, Brittany, Mike, Tina, Quinn and Rachel in the room. Rachel was still huddled into Quinn, who was still attempting to sooth the petite brunette in her arms. All those in attendance looked at the intimate embrace the two found themselves in, and smiled. When Rachel had become calm again, it was Brittany that spoke first.

"Rachel, I know this was hard, so if you want to miss dance today I can call into Miss. Clarkson, and get us both excused. I'm sure she would understand."

Removing her head from the crook of Quinn's neck she looked to Brittany with her blood shot eyes, which were a little red and puffy as well. It was in that moment that Rachel had officially won over Mike Chang as a new protector. Seeing the vulnerable girl for who she was for the first time. All of Tina's helpful hints had come to fruition in that moment, and it made him wish he could have had a shot at Finn, now.

"No, I want to go to dance. We are getting too close to the recital to miss one now, and it will be helpful in taking my mind off of things." Looking around at everyone, and taking into account the emotions playing throughout their faces, and even more telling their eyes she could still sense the worry. "Seriously guys, dance is the best stress reliever for me. I want to thank you all for helping me when Finn did that though. I can't imagine Mr. Schue would have been much help in that situation."

Everyone in the room solemnly nodded, all knowing Rachel was correct in her assumptions. Knowing if they did not leave soon they would be late for dance, Rachel took the initiative of gathering up her things first. Taking the hint, the remaining Glee club members did the same and said their farewells. Santana, Brittany, Quinn and Rachel were all walking outside together when it was decided that Rachel would drive herself and Brittany to dance, as they had to warm up and stretch. Santana and Quinn would each take their own cars, make a quick stop for food, and then watch their girlfriend's rehearsal.

Once Quinn and Santana made it to the Lima Bean they decided to drink their coffee there, so they could talk about everything.

"I have to say Q, I'm rather proud of the way you handled the situation back there."

This caught the young blonde off-guard, as that was the last thing she expected her best friend to start the conversation with, or say at all. Shock apparent in her features she asked the obvious question; "Why?"

"Because you put Rachel first. Instead of sating your own need for vengeance in that moment you were more focused on how Rachel was doing. I swear you barely let Brittany near her, and Rachel was clearly comfortable with you. Seriously Q, if we had to redo the one to you are fucked scaled, I'd say you're sitting at a nice seven now."

"While that may be true Santana, I really want to hurt Finn. It took everything in me not to charge after him. But, like you said, Rachel comes first, and she will always come first. We need a plan Santana, he's not going to stop anytime soon and Rachel is going to antagonize him."

"I have an idea Q, but I am not sure how much you'll like it."

"Sell it to me first, before letting me shot it down please."

"I want to talk to Karovsky. And, before you say anything I know he was Rachel's number two tormentor, not to far behind you. Okay? I know." At Quinn's hesitant nod she took that as her cue to continue. "But even Karovsky has a huge rule with violence against girls. I'm telling you that if we tell him what happened he will be furious. It's one thing in his book to use verbal barbs, but he abhors physical violence. Haven't you noticed he is the one jock that has never thrown a slushie at a girl? He is fine with boys, but girls are out of bounds to him."

Mulling this information over in her mind Quinn had to admit that Santana had a point. Maybe it wouldn't be a horrendous idea to talk to Karovsky. "Alright, we'll play it your way for now, but if he doesn't act soon then I want my own revenge."

"Understood cap. How about we go watch our girls now? Just try not to drool too much Q."

"I think I'll be fine Santana. It's not like they're going to be naked or anything." Santana merely laughed at Quinn's ridiculous notion, and at the same time, was laughing at how wrong Quinn was about to be. She had no idea what she was walking into.

When Santana and Quinn first past the window giving the view of Rachel's and Brittany's dance class she did a double take, and stared. She now understood Santana's warning perfectly. Inside the classroom was her Rachel Berry, wearing nothing but a sports bra and tight Nike spandex. Both of which happened to be a solid black. Rachel's tone stomach was out there for the world to see, and holy shit was that a six pack?! Rachel had better abs then most of the guy's Quinn had seen. Before she could stare any longer Santana began snapping her fingers in front of Quinn's face.

"Uhh Q, I tried to tell you, no drooling please."

"Santana, I think this might become a favorite thing of mine to do."

"I figured as much, it is one of my favorites too, just wait until they really get into their routines."

Quinn didn't need to ask what Santana meant by her comment this time, as the dancers were taking their positions. Cueing up the music the ensemble began their choreography, with what looked like perfection to Quinn. The movement of the group was so flawless, and graceful, it was entrancing. Before either girl knew it one routine had flown seamlessly into another and the dance class was over. If Quinn had liked the view of Rachel when she first got there, she was in love with the one she had now.

A completely sweaty Rachel was walking over to Quinn. But the sweat made Rachel's abs glisten, her hair was slightly messy as she shock it out of her bun, making her look like she just had sex. But the best parts was the confidence that Rachel radiated, and the candid smile that was drawing Quinn's attention to Rachel's face. She would give anything to be able to kiss Rachel in that moment. But she had to earn it first.

"Hey Quinn, how did you like watching you're first rehearsal?" Rachel inquired.

The word first had caught Quinn's attention, she really liked the implication that there would be more to come. "I loved it. You all are truly talented."

The complete sincerity lacing Quinn's words made Rachel beam with pride. "Thank you, Quinn, that means a lot to me. Unfortunately, I have to ask you something."

Concern took over, as Quinn did not like the worry and insecurity radiating through Rachel's tone. Trying to be as supportive as she could Quinn gave her answer. "Yeah Rae, what's up?"

Taking a deep breathe, Rachel asked "Is it okay if we take a rain check on that coffee? I have an idea for Glee club tomorrow and Britt is coming over to help me with it."

Chuckling to herself Quinn should have known, Rachel Berry hates disappointing people. "Rae that's fine, it just means you'll have to make it up to me somehow." Adding a cheesy wink at the end Quinn got the desired effect she wanted, Rachel laughing.

Before she was going to go off and find Britt, to bring her to her house Rachel grabbed Quinn, and pulled her in for a tight hug. Whispering in her ear "Thank you for today, Quinn. I really needed someone and you were there. I felt completely safe with you." The whisper had caused Rachel's breathe to gently caress Quinn's ear, sending pleasurable shivers down her spine. The words, on the other hand, filled Quinn with hope. Hope that she could actually pull this thirty day deal off.

Saying their goodbyes Quinn promised to pick Rachel up promptly the next morning. Leaving with Santana, the two girls walked out to their cars making plans to talk to Karovsky tomorrow, after Glee. Getting home, Quinn's mother had made a comment or two at the dinner table of how happy Quinn looked lately. Quinn simply nodded telling her mother that things were going really well for her lately. In her own mind, she added the comment that it didn't hurt that her dad was on a two week business trip either. Quinn's mother was not naïve, she knew it was a person who put this smile on her baby girl's face, and she just hoped she could meet them soon.

After doing the dishes and some homework Quinn decided to shower and head to bed. For the first time in a while Quinn had fallen asleep peacefully, her mind filled with plans for more wooing of the small brunette, which had captured her heart. Waking up refreshed the next morning Quinn went through the motions of getting ready. Twenty minutes later she was ready to go, adorned in the power suit of McKinley and a high, tight ponytail. Rushing out the door, she yelled goodbye to her mother, and made her way to Rachel's.

Rachel was ready the moment Quinn pulled up, and had actually eaten breakfast this morning. The car ride to school was filled with pleasant small talk, and Quinn begging Rachel for a hint of what song she was going to sing. Rachel possibly took a little too much pleasure in torturing the cheerleader with the fact that she would not let her know anything. The only thing she would tell Quinn, was that the rehearsal last night went so well she would still be able to eat lunch with Quinn.

The thought that Rachel was willing to give up extra practice time to eat lunch with Quinn, made Quinn's stomach flutter and heart warm. Maybe it was just the brunette trying to fulfill her end of the contract, but it made Quinn happy none the less.

The whole day had passed by in a blur for the couple. Classes were fairly easy and lunch was actually very pleasant. The girls were taking to Rachel, just as Quinn had predicted. The best part of the day was that there were no Finn sightings. This streak had to end though, as the two girls walked hand in hand to Glee. Walking in the girls went straight up to the last row, sitting with Santana and Brittany. They watched as the rest of the club filled in, including Finn Hudson.

Finn was sporting a wicked black eye, serving as a reminder of yesterday's events to Rachel. This caused the young girl to tense up with anxiety for a moment. Sensing the distress, coming off of Rachel, Quinn moved her arm around her waist, and squeezed her hip, as she had done yesterday. The effects were immediate as Rachel relaxed into the possessive hold, providing her strength and comfort in that moment.

Showing up the standard ten minutes late, as always, Mr. Schue asked if any of the remaining Glee club members wanted to go first. Rachel stood tall as she announced she wanted to be the first to go in Glee today, taking no one by surprise. Going to the front, with Brittany just behind her, she addressed the room. "Yesterday, some claims were made and I believe I found just the song to express how done I am with our relationship Finn." Looking at the boy in question Rachel saw the rage emitting from him, causing her to stutter for just a moment, wondering if this was the right call to make. Steeling her resolve once again, she knew it was, and this would hopefully force Finn to move on from their relationship, as she already was.

Brittany and Rachel took their choreographed positions, and Rachel gave her head nod to Brad, to signal for them to start.

Hey boy I would of thought that when you left me  
I'd be broken with my confidence gone.. so bummed..  
Hey boy I would of thought that when you said that you don't want me  
I'd feel ugly n sense something was wrong  
Standing in front of the mirror.. my skin's never been clearer  
My smile's never been brighter

In the opening verse Rachel and Brittany surprised the Glee club when they had Mike and Puck act out as the boys who had just broken up with them. It was clear the four of them had put in a decent amount of work in the short amount of time allowed. The fluidity and synchronization showed how well Puck could actually dance, as he was keeping up with three extraordinarily talented dancers. He looked as though he belonged.

I look so good without you  
Got me a new hairdo  
Lookin' fresh n brand new  
Since you said "that we're through"  
Done.. with your lies  
Baby now my tears dried  
You can see my brown eyes  
Ever since you said goodbye  
I look so good, I look so good without you  
I look so good, I look so good without you

Hey I'd never would of thought that when you left me  
I'd feel sexy n so good in my skin again  
And I'd never would of known that  
I'd be dreamin' so much better without you in my head  
Standing in front of the mirror.. my clothes never fit better  
My life's never been brighter

I look so good without you  
Got me a new hairdo  
Lookin' fresh n brand new  
Since you said "that we're through"  
Done.. with your lies  
Baby now my tears dried  
You can see my brown eyes  
Ever since you said goodbye  
I look so good, I look so good without you  
I look so good, I look so good without you

Now baby my body's lookin' better than before  
Ain't bitin' my nails since you walked out of that door  
I realized now I deserve so much more than what you give  
Than what you give (than what you give..)

Rachel and Brittany continued to do a flirty, more upbeat dance as the boy's choreography became more and more depressing. It was clear the message was supposed to be the stages of the girl's gaining more confidence after the break up, while the boy's realized the large mistake they had made. The dance and song showed the perfect story for this situation, a clear message that Rachel was not only done, but happy.

I look so good without you  
Got me a new hairdo  
Lookin' fresh n brand new  
Since you said "that we're through"  
I look so good without you  
Got me a new hairdo  
Lookin' fresh n brand new  
Since you said "that we're through"  
Done.. with your lies  
Baby now my tears dried  
You can see my brown eyes  
Ever since you said goodbye

I look so good without you  
Got me a new hairdo  
Lookin' fresh n brand new  
Since you said "that we're through"  
Done.. with your lies  
Baby now my tears dried  
You can see my brown eyes  
Ever since you said goodbye  
I look so good ,I look so good without you  
I look so good, I look so good without you

As the music faded out all four dancers slowly made their way to their own chairs, sitting in their respective chairs in perfect synch with the end of the song. The Glee club clapped enthusiastically, as they truly believed this time that it was the end of Finchel, and they could not be more relieved. An out of breathe Rachel turned to Quinn as the applause ensued and witnessed a large, genuine, grin overcoming Quinn's face. It was quickly becoming a favorite sight of Rachel's, not that it meant anything. No, it didn't have to mean anything at all the petite diva told herself.

Song Choices:

Finn – It's Not Over by Chris Daughtry

Rachel – I Look So Good Without You by Jesse James

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

Before Rachel could get lost in her thoughts, the sound of a chair hitting a wall could be heard. It turned out that Finn, in a moment of immaturity and anger, had done his signature move of kicking a chair when he did not get his way. Quinn wrapped her arm protectively around the back of Rachel's chair; as she watched Puck and Santana get up to restrain Finn if necessary. Finn wisely decided to keep his distance from Rachel, and opted to state a single, eerie phrase before performing a storm out. "This isn't over."

The menace and possessiveness that shone through those three words gave Rachel the chills, but, instead of retreating into herself she sat up straighter, held her chin up higher, and looked more defiant. This came in handy, as Mr. Schue finally decided to be a teacher.

Surprising no one, Mr. Schue immediately went to Finn's defense, yet again. "Rachel, I am so disappointed in you. How could you leave Finn? He obviously is sorry for whatever went wrong, and instead of forgiving him, as you should, you sang a song throwing your break up in his face. I have half a mind to give you detention for this stunt."  
If it was any other teacher, student's mouths would be agape from the blatant display of ignorance and favoritism, but it was Mr. Schue so everyone merely rolled their eyes and kept quiet. But Rachel had, had enough, and was looking to stand up for herself. She wasn't going to let Mr. Schue and Finn steam roll her, as they had done just yesterday. In that moment, it was almost as if Quinn was reading her mind. The blonde had taken her free hand, and set it over one of the petite brunette's, giving a squeeze of reassurance. Using the combined strength of her own, mixed with the support of that Quinn was giving her, Rachel addressed Mr. Schue.

"Mr. Schue, if you are going to give me detention for expressing myself through song, where I did not call Finn any names, where I did not insinuate anything bad about him, and where I kept my physical distance away from him, then should Finn be suspended for forcing himself on me. I would be more than happy to bring this to Coach Sylvester if you'd like. We all know how much she loves you." Rachel let that last thought trail off, she wanted Mr. Schue to really think about what Sue would do to him.

And just like Rachel wanted, Mr. Schue was thinking of all of the worst case scenarios. In all honesty, if Sue made enough of a mess of the situation, he could get fired. Besides, he could always help Finn find ways to get back with Rachel. That girl was Finn's opportunity to get out of Lima, and Finn could live the life he never got to. Finn could right his wrongs.

Instead of manning up, and admitting his mistake, Mr. Schue just dismissed Glee club early, again. It seemed that every time there was a true teaching moment to be had, Mr. Schue would never take charge, he was a runner not a leader. Once the door had shut behind Mr. Schue a collective breathe was let out. Rachel and Glee club knew that this was a small victory for them. But they also knew, while they may have won this battle, they had not won the war. Something needed to change, and it needed to happen soon if they were to win any competitions.

Santana was the first to speak up, she couldn't help it, she was so proud of her tiny diva for sticking up for herself. It was a milestone for school Rachel. Outside of school Rachel could easily kick anyone's ass, Santana's included, and Santana realized how big of a deal it was for Rachel to start bringing the two personalities together. She hated that Rachel felt she needed to put a show on in school. Mainly because she knew a large part of it was her fault. "Rachel, bebè, that was awesome. It's about time you stood up to hair gel and Finnocence!"

Murmurs of agreement sounding very much like "good for you," and "it's about time," could be heard throughout the choir room. With all of the sudden attention being on Rachel, she did something very unlike herself. She blushed, turned her head, and hid in the crook of Quinn's shoulder and neck. It was a rare moment in school, in which Rachel would get praise instead of indignation, anger, or bullying. It caught her off guard in that particular moment. She felt Quinn pull her closer, and she could smell the vanilla perfume the blonde was wearing. The combined sensations calmed Rachel, and she allowed herself to get lost in that moment.

Quinn, on the other hand, could not stop her brain from moving a million miles an hour at the intimate position she currently found herself in. She looked down at Rachel, and couldn't imagine anything more she wanted that second. The position they found themselves in screamed trust and it made Quinn happy, because maybe Rachel didn't even realize it, but her physical reactions lately had all indicated that she trusted Quinn. Looking over to her second command, she saw the smirk adorning the Latina's face, which ended in her winking at her when she realized Quinn was looking at her. Quietly, everyone made their way out of the room, leaving the new couple alone.

When Rachel finally did look up, five minutes later, it took her a minute to realize her and Quinn were alone. That was because the first thing she saw when she looked up was Quinn. Brown eyes meet hazel eyes and a storm of emotion passed through the hazel eyes. Rachel easily identified a couple of them, worry and happiness being among them, but there was something else hidden in those orbs that was driving Rachel mad. She couldn't quite put her finger on the emotion but if she had to guess, it would be love. But that couldn't be right, Quinn's claims couldn't be right.

"Quinn, where did everyone go?" Rachel's voice sounded so tired right then. Almost like the emotional upheaval from the song, and subsequent argument had drained her energy.

"They all left about thirty seconds after Mr. Schue 'dismissed' us. Or really, ran like a little girl. We've been here for about five minutes." Quinn answered the question before Rachel could ask. Once again giving the brunette singer the feeling that the girl next to her knew a lot about her. She could read her like a children's picture book.

"You could have made me get up you know? I didn't mean to hold you up."

"Rachel, if I could hold you in my arms like that all day, I would. There is no way I am ending physical contact with you, especially when you seem to need it." The honesty that seeped through every word chilled Rachel to the bone. This girl seriously loved her, or at the very least cared for her a great deal. It was an amazing feeling.

A barely there 'thank you' was whispered by Rachel, who leaned her head back on Quinn's shoulder for another minute before making the attempt to leave. Quinn had to hold herself back from grabbing the diva, and pulling her back down to their position. Making their way out of the room, while holding hands, Quinn made her announcement to Rachel.

"Is it okay if Brittany drives you to dance? I will be there to pick you up, but Santana and I need to handle something here first. It shouldn't take too long. I could pick us up dinner, and we could eat it at your place after?"

The whole plan had a domestic feel to it, warming Rachel's heart. It almost distracted her from the obvious fact that Quinn was in full on HBIC planning mode. One did not survive a year of torment from the blonde cheerleader without learning how to read her. "It sounds like a wonderful plan Quinn." Rachel let the blonde think she had gotten away with it, indicated by her growing smile before adding on, "but only if you tell me what shenanigans you and Santana are planning."

Quinn let out a small groan at that. She knew Rachel was a curious person by nature, and could read people far better than anyone gave her credit for. She let out a small sigh before taking a risk. "Rae, I refuse to lie to you, and come up with some ridiculous excuse like Coach wants to see us. Instead, I am going to ask you to trust me. Can you please trust that I am not doing anything to hurt you, and leave it at that? Please?"

Rachel wanted to hold out, the constant need to know everything within her was screaming for her to push for more. But there was something in the way Quinn had presented the situation, which inclined her to give the blonde what she wanted. "Alright, I'll let it go, for now. But only if we get cheeseburgers and fries, I've been having a craving for them lately."

The smile that took over Quinn's face told Rachel that she had made the right decision. "Of course Rae, I'll pick it up before I come get you from dance."

Right as their conversation ended, Rachel and Quinn had caught up with Santana and Brittany. Saying their quick goodbyes, a chaste kiss on the lips for Brittany and Santana, and a longer hug, that was much to intimate and time consuming to be a 'just friends' hug, and the group split up. Santana looked to her captain, meeting their eyes and giving a quick nod the two girls went off in search for Karovsky.

They found him in the weight room, trying to get a quick session in before practice. Santana hollered for him, and he begrudgingly made his way over to the two HBIC of McKinley High. "What do you want Santana? You're interrupting my arms work out." Karovsky crossed his arms, and attempted to pull off a tough guy look, not fooling either of the girls.

Quinn decided to take charge of the situation, as it was her girlfriend that needed the protection. "We just thought you'd like to know about you captain forcing himself on a girl Karovsky, but if you're not interested we can leave."

Santana and Quinn both turned to leave, but before they could make it even two steps, they heard Karovsky bellow out behind them. "HUDSON DID WHAT?!" Smirking before turning around, both girls knew Karovsky would be all for their plan now.

Quinn's eyes turn and immediately met with Karovsky's as he impatiently waited for an explanation. The boy knew better than to push though, as he could have sworn he saw Quinn's eyes harden before explaining.

"Hudson tried to force himself on Rachel. He grabbed her hands and face as he forcibly serenaded her, and then to end the song he roughly grabbed her chin and forced a kiss. He looked like he wanted to do more, but Santana and Puck pulled him off before anything else could happen. Then today, Rachel goaded him, she sang about how happy she was that they broke up and he kicked a chair into a wall at the end of the song. He told us all, and I quote, 'it wasn't over' before storming off."

As Quinn finished, both her and Santana could see the rage simmering under the cool façade Karovsky was desperately trying to hang on to. He was failing miserably as his entire body shock and he rocketed off of the weight bench to start pacing back and forth, back and forth. Finally, he exploded. "You can't do that! If a girl doesn't want you, then she doesn't want you, end of discussion. You can try and woo her, meaning you send her flowers and corny shit like that, but you do not force yourself on her! Especially a girl like Berry, have you seen how tiny she is?! She is what, 90 pounds soaking wet? How the hell is she supposed to fight off Hudson?! And she is one of the only ones getting out of this hick town, he isn't even good enough for her to begin with. No, fuck no, we need to fix this."

Both Santana and Quinn were radiating with happiness, it seemed that Karovsky had a secret soft spot for the resident diva, which no one knew about. They watched as Karovsky's eyes went wide as he processed what he had just admitted.

"Karovsky, it's okay. I like that you have a soft spot for Rae, it means you'll look out for her too. As for what we are going to do, I can't do much. Rachel will know if it's me and that girl hates violence. I am trying to constantly stay on her good side, if you know what I mean. I propose that you let a couple miss blocks in practice go by? Between you and Puck the guys should be pretty set with the plan right?"

Karovsky nodded after turning the idea about in his head for a second. "Yes, they will. All of the guys hate violence against girls, and Finn also forgets something pretty important sometimes. All of those baby Cheerios he has been messing around with, most of them have older brothers on the team. They have been wanting to have a shot at him for a while. Also, if you want I can keep a covert eye on Rachel in the hallways. I'll let the team know that they should be on the lookout for Hudson trying to corner her."

A sigh of relief escaped both Santana and Quinn. They would both sleep better at night knowing all of the football players, and soon to be most of the Cheerios, would be looking out for Rachel. In the two lunch periods that Rachel had spent with the Cheerios, she had already garnered a lot of affection from them. There were even some baby Cheerios that apologized for helping Finn cheat, and some of them confessed that Finn had never told them he was in a relationship. At this rate, Rachel was looking to be just as popular as Quinn, Santana, and Brittany in her own right.

The newly formed trio said their goodbyes as Karovsky went to change for practice. He immediately began scanning the locker room for Puck. When he found him a trouble making grin took over his face, and he made a beeline for his teammate.

Outside in the parking lot Santana and Quinn ordered their respective dinners by phone, and decided to kill time before pick up talking in Santana's BMW M3 black convertible. "You know Q, you and Rae looked pretty cozy in Glee today. Don't think I didn't notice how she immediately turned into you when she got embarrassed."

Quinn smiled, as she remembered the feeling of having an extremely willing Rachel, in her arms, just an hour ago. "It was amazing Santana. I'm starting to think I actually have a shot at this whole thirty day deal. She seems pretty responsive already, hell I doubt she even realizes it." That thought scared Quinn a little bit, because how would Rachel react when it all came crashing down on her?

"To be honest cap, I doubt she does. Her life has changed so dramatically, and just four days ago. Just remember to take it slow, otherwise, when it does hit her, she will think you were taking advantage of her."

Santana's words made sense in her head, and Quinn was somewhat insulted the Latina would think she would even entertain the idea of pushing Rachel. She had been the one to be so firm in the contract about that. She wasn't Finn. If she was going to earn Rachel, she wanted it done with all of her cards on the table and with Rachel's full consent.

"I would never push her, or take advantage of her S. You know that. I can't believe how much she already allows me to touch her. And not like that you pervert." Quinn cut off Santana's remark before she even had a chance to get it out. "Rachel's different. She's smart, funny, committed, driven, a phenomenal singer and dance, and not to mention beautiful. I won't fuck it up by going too fast. Why get one kiss now, when I can get all the kisses I want for the rest of our lives?"

Quinn's impassioned speech brought a smile to Santana's face. She had purposely goaded the girl into that, secretly recording her response on her cell phone. Brittany still needed some convincing that Quinn was worthy of Rachel, after the stunt she had pulled to get her originally. Santana had a feeling this video would do just the trick. And if Quinn happened to royally fuck up sometime in the thirty days then, hey, what are best friends for? She was sure the video would move Rae into her best friend's direction as well. But she only wanted to use it in case of emergency.

"I know Q, I know you would never do something to fuck up what you could have with Rachel. Rae is something else. I really hope she trusts both of us soon, I like spending time with her. She gets the whole no parents thing, I mean at least mine come home sometimes but it'll be nice to have someone who really gets it."

Quinn nodded empathetically with Santana's statement. Both of Santana's parents were neurosurgeons, and as such, were never home. They threw an extraordinarily large amount of money at Santana, thinking it would fill the void a parent is supposed to. Instead, they have a daughter that has bad trust issues, and a bitch attitude that is a complete cliché, as it hides her abandonment issues. It's what made her and Rachel so alike. They both adopted personalities to keep other people out.

"I'm sure she has already begun Santana. Did you know she intentionally finished rehearsing for Glee last night so she could fulfill her promise and sit with us at lunch?"

That had caught Santana off guard. While the real Rachel Berry may be more relaxed she was still a perfectionist when it came to her craft. Everyone knew that giving up rehearsal time was a huge deal to the young girl. "Really?!"

"Yeah, I was fully prepared for her to ask if I wouldn't mind if she missed lunch. Of course I would have told her to rehearse, but she surprised me and told me they pushed extra hard so she could sit with us today. It's a decent size step in the right direction Santana."

"Quinn, it's a huge step. This is awesome. And we also have that double date planned for tomorrow, so that can only help." Santana couldn't help but picture Quinn and Rachel being a real couple in that moment. She could picture how happy they both would be, and the double dates they would go on. It appeared to be a great future, they just had to keep moving in the right direction.

"True, I'm excited for the double date. Hopefully I will win over both Rachel and Brittany on it. Well, really just Brittany. I know it'll take a lot more than movie theater popcorn and horror flicks to win over Rachel. But to continue, I am going to head out and pick up our burgers, and get her from dance class. See you tomorrow?"

"And hopefully a limping Finnept."

Quinn got out of Santana's car and into her own, heading straight towards the diner to pick up her order. Thinking over her day, she couldn't stop smiling, things were definitely looking up for her.

A/N: Hey, so I know Karovsky doesn't match the first chapter. I'm trying to figure out a way to edit it and I'm sorry for the inconsistency. When I changed the story I forgot to change that part! Also, sorry for the wait, I'm trying to be more consistent. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

Quinn got out of Santana's car and into her own, heading straight towards the diner to pick up her order. Thinking over her day, she couldn't stop smiling, things were definitely looking up for her.

It only took Quinn about a half hour to run her errands before picking up Rachel. She decided to stop at the florist and pick up another single rose to surprise Rachel with when she picked her up at dance. This time she got a blue rose, it was supposed to signify new beginnings, as well as someone being unattainable. She knew Rachel was not actually unattainable anymore, but it wouldn't hurt her chances when Rachel looked up the color of the rose's significance. So that lead Quinn to now, standing outside of her car at Rachel's dance studio waiting for her to come out of her lesson.

When Rachel did finally come out, Quinn had to hold herself back for numerous reasons. The first being that Rachel looked sexy, she was still wearing the tight spandex with a tank top, which showed every curve in her body. The second was that the bag on Rachel's shoulder looked heavy and she wanted to carry it for her, but Rachel would probably take that as somewhat of an insult, she was fiercely independent. And finally, there was a black hair green eyed girl trying to hit on Rachel.

Quinn vaguely remembered this girl from the last class she had attended. The girl was gorgeous, and she was paying far too much attention to Rachel for Quinn's liking. Feelings of possessiveness and jealousy began to fight their way to the surface, as Quinn's logical side battled it out with them, to avoid making a scene. In the end, logic, thankfully, won out and Quinn waited for Rachel to come to her. She witnessed the hug goodbye that lingered a little to long for her tastes, with the girls hands wandering far too much for her liking. Quinn would have to remember to ask Brittany about who that girl was, and what she wanted with Rachel. The last thing Quinn needed was more competition. Especially, with an unstable Finn out there.

After several torturous minutes, with Quinn having many mental battles with herself, Rachel finally made it to the car. Smiling at the young diva, Quinn pulled the blue rose from behind her back and opened the passenger door for Rachel. Rachel thanked Quinn with a long hug of her own and Quinn used the opportunity to feel secure once again. Once the moment had passed, Quinn relieved Rachel of her bag and got into the car herself.  
The ride home was filled with a constant stream of chatter and laughter, and it was obvious that Rachel was becoming extremely comfortable in Quinn's presence. By the time the girls pulled into Rachel's driveway they were fully immersed in a duet of _Ain't It Fun_ by Paramore. Both girls simply lost in the moment, singing along to a catchy song.

Only exiting the car once the song was finished the two young women made their way into Rachel's house. The atmosphere stayed light and airy throughout their meal of cheeseburgers and French fries, with a radio playing softly in the background. Conversations ranged from school to dance to Cheerios to favorite colors. The only one that was seemingly taboo was Glee. Rachel was nowhere near ready to talk about what happened over the last couple of days and the last thing Quinn wanted to do was push her.

After dinner the young students pulled out their homework, being in the top 5% of their class was another thing to two had in common. As they finished up their final assignment the topic of college was breeched. Rachel turned to Quinn, in genuine curiosity, when she asked "Where do you want to go to college?"

Quinn actually took a moment to ponder this before giving her answer to the brown-eyed girl. "Honestly?" Quinn waits for Rachel to nod her head slightly before continuing on. "I've only given it very superficial thoughts. We are sophomores after all. But if I had to choose, I would want to go Ivy League. Maybe Yale, Brown or Cornell? It will depend on what I see myself majoring in too. At the moment I like the idea of journalism or photography, but I'm young, by the time we are seniors I could want to be a surgeon. You never know."

Rachel looked to be in deep thought, as she mulled over the information Quinn had just given her. "That makes sense, I suppose. I just, I've never really thought about any other careers other than Broadway. So that leaves either NAYDA or Julliard for me. Personally, I am really hoping that Brittany ends up at the same school as me."

Quinn looked hesitant before asking her next question. "If you don't mind me asking, what would be your back up plan for Broadway? I don't think you'll need it, I fully believe in you, I'm just curious as to what you would want to do, if that didn't work out, or you changed your mind."

The full confidence that had shown through Quinn's eyes when she said she thought Rachel would definitely make it, gave Rachel a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. The kind that is somewhat uncomfortable, and tingly, but you still crave it. Because, most of Rachel's confidence was real, but some of it was false bravado. So to hear, from someone who was her biggest critic last year, that she never doubted she would make it, was music to her ears. Because Rachel did think about that. She did have back up plans.

"I would want to sing still, professionally. Just not electronic pop where they alter my voice, or anything like that. I would also love to look into something with psychology and sociology. The way we interact, as individuals and groups, as well as motivations, has always intrigued me."

The answer had taken Quinn a bit by surprise. Not because of the content, but because of how quickly Rachel gave the answer. Quinn wouldn't have thought she had a backup plan in place. "I could see why those options would be appealing to you. Just please don't turn into Miss. Pillsbury if you choose the psychology route. She is one of the nicest people ever, but I always leave their more confused than when I enter."

Rachel couldn't help but let out a small chuckle and nod at Quinn's statement, which was all too accurate. The rest of the evening went quickly and before they knew it, it was time for Quinn to head home. Walking her to the door, all of the good feelings carried with Rachel as she gave Quinn a hug and kiss on the cheek good bye. The stunned blonde cheerleader stood as still as a statue for a couple of seconds, before the biggest grin overtook her face. Turning to Rachel one more time, she gave her farewells and drove home.

Meanwhile, after she had showered and had gotten prepared for the next day at school, Rachel laid in her bed, analyzing all of her feelings and actions throughout the day. It was hard to believe that in the classroom she instinctually turned to Quinn for comfort. She recalled how soothing Quinn's voice was, and how her gentle rocking motion almost lulled her to sleep. Rachel analyzed how easy and carefree she was after dance class and well into the night with Quinn. And, finally, she thought over her kiss to the cheek. The blonde had no idea that Rachel wanted to do more in that moment. She wanted to kiss her for real, on the lips. But, for whatever reason the timing felt off, and she opted for the safer option.

Reflecting back on that moment now, Rachel could tell it had been fear that caused her course of action. She was having trouble reconciling just how easy it was to slip into a routine with Quinn. How easy it was to feel safe with her. How easy it was to feel loved by her. When you have two parents that abandon you in such a harsh way, such feelings are incomprehensible. And yet, here was her bully, her main tormentor, from just a year ago giving her all these feelings. In the end it left Rachel with two options.

She could wait out the remainder of the twenty-six days, and shut herself off emotionally from Quinn, leaving her when the bet was over. Or Rachel could throw caution to the wind and take the leap of faith. It was too early to make that decision, and as Rachel began to fall into a peaceful slumber she decided to see how another week went before she made her decision.

Both girls woke up feeling refreshed the next day, as they had both had a restful night's sleep for the same reason, each other. Quinn couldn't remember the last time she was this happy, and Rachel couldn't remember the last time she was this hopeful. Even though she had given herself that week trial period, she couldn't squash the optimistic thoughts she was having about Quinn, and their budding relationship.

A smile creped its way onto Rachel's face when she took note of Quinn waiting for her by her locker, with Santana and Brittany. When Quinn saw Rachel approaching a smile took over her face and the group of four made small talk, finalizing plans for the drive-in movies, before heading off to their classes for the day.

For the most part, the school day proved to be uneventful. There was a moment shortly before lunch that Santana and Quinn caught sight of Finn. Turned out the boy had gotten sacked particularly hard during practice yesterday and sustained a sprain to his wrist. The boy could also be seen sporting a limp. Karovfsky, who also happened to be in the hallway in that moment, shared a self-satisfied smirk with Quinn and Santana before heading off to enjoy his own lunch. The girls understood that a few bumps and bruises weren't going to stop Finn from trying to win Rachel back, but it felt damn good in that moment.

The end of the day approached quickly and before the group of girls knew it, they were all at Santana's house, about to climb into her father's black pick-up truck. Packed and ready to go with enough blankets, pillows and snacks to turn the pick-up bed into an actual bed, ready to watch some horror flicks.

Upon arriving the girls found out it was _House of Wax_ playing first followed by the original _Halloween_. The original Halloween happened to be a personal favorite of Quinn's and she couldn't wait to see Rachel's reactions to the movie.

Situated in the back of the truck was Santana on the far left side with Brittany laying right next to her, in the middle was the popcorn and other candies the girls had brought. Rachel was closest to the middle out of her and Quinn, who was on the far right side of the truck bed.

Halfway through the first movie and Brittany was completely cuddled into Santana, while Rachel had her head firmly tucked into the crook of Quinn's shoulder as the main villain superglued the girl's mouth shut. A warmth spread through Quinn as she wrapped her arms around Rachel's torso, pulling the petite brunette in closer to her. Santana caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and smiled. She was pleased with the progress Quinn seemed to be making with Rachel. She still had a long way to go, but Quinn was farther along than Santana ever dreamed she would get at this point.

Too soon the movie ended, causing the fifteen minute intermission. Quinn cursed the intermission, as Rachel had stayed cuddled up to her for the entirety of the movie, only moving so she could stretch out and use the restroom. Brittany escorted the tiny diva, leaving Santana and Quinn alone for a moment. Finally, Quinn could bring up the sight that had bothered her yesterday when she went to pick up Rachel.

"Hey, San?" Quinn waited for Santana to turn her head, and give Quinn her full attention before beginning.

"Do you know who the girl with black hair, green eyes, and a little taller than me is in Rachel and Brittany's dance class?"

Santana processed the words momentarily, before recognition flashed through her eyes. "Oh yeah, that's Annabelle. She has been close friends, and in Rachel and Brittany's dance class for about five or six years now. Why?"

"Well yesterday, when I went to pick up Rachel, I noticed how _friendly _she was with her. She stared at Rachel like she was a piece of meat, and when they hugged I could tell she held on for just a little too long, if you catch my meaning. I am pretty sure she wants to steal my girl." The look in Quinn's eyes was panic, pure and simple. She had a very real fear of someone swooping in, and erasing all of the progress her and Rachel had been making.

Sensing her best friend's distress, Santana immediately set out to soothe Quinn's insecurities. "Hey, we don't know if that is true yet or not. There is no sense in panicking unless we have solid evidence, alright? And even if she does want Rachel, you have thirty days regardless. At the rate you're going with her, it looks like you'll be successful. Just keep doing what you're doing, and treating her right, and I will look into the Annabelle thing alright? Britt will totally help me."

At the last proclamation Quinn looked slightly confused, last she knew she hadn't completely won over her blonde best friend on this subject. Especially with how things first came about. "Why would Brittany help? She said she was still reserving judgment on me, last I knew at least."

"Well, you see, I may have shown her something that changed her mind. That is all I am going to say."

Quinn saw the mischievous look in Santana's eyes and decided she would rather not know, and just be grateful she had another ally. Timing seemed to be on her side because, at just that moment, Brittany and Rachel returned to the pick-up truck. Santana and Quinn chuckled as they saw Brittany lift Rachel up into the bed, as she was too short to gracefully make the climb. The tiny dancer shot them both a look that immediately silenced their giggles, causing a fresh round to break out between Brittany and Rachel.

At the beginning of the Halloween movie Rachel started in an upright sitting position, with some space in between her and Quinn. It wasn't long though, until she had moved in between Quinn's legs, with one on each side of her, Quinn's arms wrapped securely around her, and Quinn's head tucked into her collarbone. It was quite the comfortable position for both girls, and Rachel couldn't help but revel in how natural and easy it was once again to be intimate with Quinn.

Sure, this wasn't intimate in the sense of kissing or other sexual means, but the position itself did display a level of intimacy that was beyond that of just friends. In fact, if someone were to walk by it would be quite obvious that the two were dating, as that is currently how Rachel was beginning to think of them. They were dating. Whether or not they would continue was still up in the air.

The girls enjoyed the second movie and as they packed up Rachel began to get a bit drowsy. It wasn't long before she was snoring on the car ride home with her head in Quinn's lap who was slowly stroking her hair. In the front Santana and Brittany were holding hands, while quietly singing along to the radio. The car ride home had been one of the most peaceful moments the girls had in a while and they fully enjoyed the moment.

It had been decided earlier in the day that as they would not get back until closer to one in the morning that they would all sleep at Santana's house. Once they arrived Quinn took Rachel, bridal style, in her arms and maneuvered her way, expertly through Santana's house. She gently laid Rachel down in the guest room, and as much as she wanted to crawl in next to her and spoon with the petite dancer all night, it had already been decided that she would share a room with Brittany, and Quinn would sleep in Santana's room.

Deciding to keep the shaky trust that Rachel had begun to put into Quinn, the blonde cheerleader ignored her instincts and walked down the hall to Santana's room. There would be plenty of time to cuddle later in their relationship. The last thing Quinn wanted to do was push too fast and ruin all of her progress. She knew she made the right call when she passed a smiling Brittany on her way to Santana's room.


End file.
